Wilderness of Mirrors
by MissJayne
Summary: A deadly game has been set in motion, leading the team into a world of shadows. How can anything remain the same? Some Jibbs, Lily!
1. Prologue

_Thanks to my beta Kirsten! I should probably start with an apology for what I did to Alex in the last story - I didn't realise how much you all loved him! Sorry..._

_And another apology - this will be the last longer Lily story. They really take it out of me. The oneshots and possibly slightly longer ones will keep coming. In the meantime, I'm working on more Jibbs stories._

_Dedication: For my Nan, who demands a copy of everything I write and can't work a computer. My printing bill seems to increase every month, but I love her to pieces._

Wilderness of Mirrors

Chapter 1: Prologue

Lieutenant Ryan Mayborne sat in the darkness, listening to the lash of the rain on the outer wall. He could still remember the rare hours of sunlight from earlier in the day – rare for here. His home, all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, was always bright and sunny, and he found seemingly perpetual clouds annoying. He craved the sun on his face.

Even in the daytime, the sun did not reach here. It was permanently chilly; rather like it was outside, but the cold stone seemed to remove all possible heat. He shivered again, wishing he had thought to bring a thicker coat.

The blackness of the night enveloped him, pressuring him to continue chain smoking. He just enjoyed the little light that surrounded him, and the added warmth helped as well. But he was more of a social smoker and he was starting to feel very ill.

The last few weeks had been nightmarish. Everything had happened so fast and he knew he was in over his head. After this meeting, it would all be over. And it couldn't come fast enough.

He heard a scuffling, and jumped to his feet. His other senses were heightened due to the darkness and it was as though he could hear every little noise in this cold place. The scuffling sounded again and his heart pounded in his mouth. He forced himself to calm down. He was an officer in the United States Navy. Nothing should frighten him.

Except it did.

This whole situation terrified him. He was an aviator, not an international spy. And now he was stuck in this tangled web, with no way out except to see his handler. He knew of things that he shouldn't know about, things that no one should have to know about. He was the only one who knew everything, which meant he had to hold himself together until he could pass the information on.

He was convinced that someone had started to follow him. It was what had led to calling his handler early and demanding a meeting. He wasn't sure who it was, or if he was just jumping at nothing, but he could feel someone. Behind him in the queue at McDonalds, following him down the sidewalk, watching him constantly.

And the worst thing was not being able to tell anyone. If he did, he would be bringing down the whole of this… whatever this was, down on their head. He might end up with blood on his hands. He knew his life was in danger and he couldn't bring anyone else along for the ride. It would weigh too heavily on his conscience.

He thought briefly of Sam and Jayne. His insurance policies. If anything should happen to him, they alone would hold the pieces of this puzzle. They didn't know the truth – he couldn't tell them – but they held the keys.

He lit another cigarette, using the flicker of his lighter to view the area. It did very little to penetrate the shadows, which comforted him. If he couldn't see, then anyone after him couldn't see either.

Taking a very deep breath, he peered over the edge again. He probably shouldn't have made his way up here, but he needed to feel safe. And this place offered him a good vantage point. He would be able to see if his handler arrived with anyone, or if someone other than his handler showed up.

He preferred to be safe rather than sorry at the moment.

The rain continued to lash down on the roof, annoying him. If it wasn't cloudy here, it was raining. If it wasn't raining, it was cloudy. The brief glimpses of sunlight were all he lived for.

And the rain here was crazy! It didn't simply rain, it poured. Bucketfuls would suddenly drop out of the sky, soaking anyone and everyone caught in its path. It would start out of nowhere, and stop just as abruptly.

To top it off, it only ever seemed to rain when he had to go outside.

The noise also annoyed him. This place was never quiet, what with all the bars and clubs every two feet. Some weird baseline was always pounding out of a building on every street, and it became aggravating after a while. Did no one have anything better to do with their lives?

He heard another bout of scuffling. Cursing softly, he peered out over the edge. It was probably just a rat or something, but his nerves had been on edge for too long. All he wanted was for this to be over.

His trembling fingers found the light on his watch and he carefully looked at the time. Midnight. He was on time, so where was his handler?

A sudden dark thought crossed his mind. If someone had been following him, they might have worked out who he had called. And if they knew that, they could have done something to delay his handler, perhaps permanently.

He forced himself to calm down. Everything would be okay. Everything had to be okay. Good always triumphed over evil, and it would again this time.

A soft noise disturbingly close to him jolted him back to awareness. Someone was very close to him.

He turned and ran. The passageway was narrow and very high up, but he knew in his heart that he was no longer safe. This person meant harm to him. He ran and ran and ran…

And slipped.

* * *

In the darkness, the intruder watched as Ryan Mayborne, Lieutenant, United States Navy, died. Saint Hugh's shrine – two huge spikes rising from the floor of the cathedral – had pierced his heart as he fell.

It was a sudden death. A lot of blood, but abrupt. The intruder mused for a moment on the old belief that it was a sin to spill blood in a church.

And then the intruder turned and left, believing that no one would be able to piece together what a certain Ryan Mayborne had discovered.


	2. Head in the Rocks

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! Early update tonight because I am cleaning for an inspection and I should be revising._

Chapter 2: Head in the Rocks

Tony DiNozzo stared at the moving pictures on his computer screen. He did not have a clue as to what they were, but it made him look as though he was doing something productive.

Other than musing on life, the universe and everything.

Mainly life though. About how short it was, how it could all be taken away without warning, how depressing and miserable life was behind the smoke and mirrors.

"Boot Camp Babes?" Ziva inquired, her voice drawing him out of his thoughts. "You are watching that rubbish?"

He whirled around in his chair so that he was facing her. His little ninja Mossad chick had managed to sneak up on him again – not that it would have been particularly difficult for her given how deeply he had been thinking.

"It's a great show," he defended. "Three hot, rich babes learning what's truly important in life: firing machine guns while wearing bikinis."

His partner glared at him. "You are an idiot," she informed him, stalking back to her own desk.

"Hey!" he objected, his eyes following her trip. "I have also been thinking about something really important."

"You mean whether the blonde one of those 'babes' has had a boob job?" Ziva shot back.

"It's obvious she has," he replied. "But the point is: I think we need to stage an intervention."

The Probie looked up from his work. "Intervention? For whom?"

"Maybe Gibbs?" Ziva suggested. "Or Abby? I cannot think of anyone else we know with any other form of addiction."

"You're forgetting our Director's caffeine addiction," Tony noted. "We need to focus, people! I was referring to Lily."

Two very blank faces continued to stare at him.

"You know," he continued. "What with the whole 'just married and then someone kills my new husband' thing?"

"And you think she needs an _intervention_?" Ziva questioned. "I do not understand."

"She hasn't been seen since the EMTs showed up and declared him dead," Tony recalled. "And someone killed her first husband in a similar way. She's been gone a week; someone needs to find her."

"In case she has done something stupid?" Ziva asked.

Tony nodded, glad that someone understood. He was worried for Lily, and just wanted to know that she was okay. Wherever she was, he felt it was a bad idea for her to be on her own.

"You are an idiot," Ziva repeated.

He turned to the Probie for support, and was surprised to find him nodding along. "Stop ganging up on me!" he complained.

Ziva tutted. "You think she cannot look after herself? If she wanted help, she would ask for it."

"She was in a mess!" he retorted. "Her wedding dress and her hands were covered in her husband's blood, and then she vanishes. And from a few guesses, she didn't do too well when Husband Number One died."

"Do you think we _haven't _been trying to find her?" McGee piped up. "She hasn't used her cell phone since then, and as far as I can tell, she's switched it off. She hasn't touched any of her money."

Ziva continued the list. "We do not think she is at her apartment, because Jenny would be staying with her if she knew the whereabouts of her sister. And yet Jenny does not appear to be completely consumed by worry, which suggests there has been some contact between them."

McGee took over again. "We found the address of her CIA partner, and she doesn't appear to be in that apartment either. We called on Great Aunt April, who is trying to locate Lily as well. We tried Jasper's school to find him anxious but in the dark."

Again, Ziva took over. "We tried to piece together her possible route after she disappeared from the church – we canvassed cab drivers, local businesses and local homes. Nothing."

Tony's mouth was hanging open by this stage. "Why didn't you ask me to help out?!"

"Because you were so wrapped up in yourself," Ziva pointed out. "You have been morose and burying your head in the rocks."

"Sand," McGee corrected.

"You would have simply whined about everything," Ziva commented. "You have been off in your own world while we try to do something. Forgive us if we put Lily ahead of you."

He rolled his eyes. Admittedly, he had been detached from everything. He had spent more time wondering about where Lily was and what she was doing, instead of trying to find her.

"Do you think…" He had to swallow hard to continue. "Do you think she's still… alive?"

"She's harder to kill than a cockroach," Gibbs warned, reappearing with the omnipresent cup of coffee. "Turn over a rock and she'll show up. Where are those reports?"

They scrambled to return to work.

* * *

Timothy McGee was tired. Ziva, Abby and himself had been spending a lot of their free time over the last week in an attempt to find Lily. Although none of them said it aloud, each was worried that she might do something stupid.

Her husband had died in her arms. No one should ever have to go through that, and this was her second time. Understandably, she had been in pieces, and her disappearance made everything worse. Gibbs had mentioned that someone had targeted her several times in the week prior, which had led to some heated debate about who the real target was.

Ziva had looked at all the events of the past few months and suggested that someone was trying to hurt Lily. Not physically, but mentally. They were playing her own games on her.

First, a dead body with Jenny's name on it had shown up. It hadn't taken long to prove that it wasn't her, but it was an odd occurrence.

Next, someone had blown up Jenny's office. Although suspicion had naturally fallen on Lily, what with her minor obsession with explosives, she had denied everything.

Then, someone had attempted to kill Lily in the Louvre, before sniping at her days later.

Finally, her husband had been shot dead.

It felt strange to draw the dots, but it made some kind of sense. Perhaps. Well, it made as much sense as Lily made. Whether they were on the right path or not was a different matter entirely.

He only hoped they could find her before any other harm befell her.

* * *

Ziva David observed Jenny carefully as the redhead made her way down the stairs.

It was clear that the Director was tense. However, her presence alone proved that Lily had been in touch in some way, shape or form – if she felt her sister was in danger, Jenny would be out there searching for her instead of continuing to come to work every day.

And yet the redhead was still worried, which meant Lily had been in touch but her current location was unknown.

Ziva was not surprised. If she was in Lily's boots, she would want to take off as well. She would want to be alone, to work out what she was going to do, without having to deal with people's fake sympathy.

It did not stop her from trying to locate the CIA agent. Lily was completely crazy at the best of times and someone needed to keep an eye on her. It did not matter particularly who that someone was, but she needed some form of company.

She watched as Jenny approached Gibbs' desk. On top of all their Lily worries, no one knew what was happening with Alex's funeral. The widow would be the obvious one to ask for answers, but was Missing In Action. The CIA did not seem to know anything either. Everything was a complete mess at the moment.

"Agent Gibbs," Jenny greeted him.

"Director," he nodded back.

Ziva always found it amusing when they kept up their professionalism. Everyone knew they were sleeping together; there were two baby twins to prove it. Although she suspected it might have something more to do with Tony's constant bets.

"Lieutenant Ryan Mayborne was found dead this morning," she informed him. "The circumstances surrounding his death are… odd, to say the least. You and your team have been assigned to sort this out."

Gibbs nodded. "Gear up!" he called, standing up and reaching for his gun.

Jenny smirked. "You might want to hear me out first."

Ziva froze, her gun already in its holster. Gibbs stopped moving as well, and glared at Jenny.

"Lieutenant Mayborne died in Lincoln," Jenny added.

"Lincoln, Nebraska?" Ziva asked.

"Lincoln, Wyoming?" McGee suggested.

"Lincoln, Oregon?" Tony offered.

"None," Jenny answered. "Lincoln, England."

"Yes!" Tony yelled.

Ziva glared at him.

"We get to go to England again," Tony pointed out. "Our last trip was fun."

She shook her head softly, before turning her attention back to Jenny and Gibbs.

"Your flight has been arranged," Jenny told him. "And I'll be coming with you."

"Reason?" Gibbs questioned.

Jenny sighed. "Mayborne was the son of Patrick Mayborne, the senator. I was asked to tag along by the SecNav."

Ziva hid a grin. She was not going to be the only female on this trip then.

"When do we leave?" Tony demanded.


	3. Arrival

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! Exams are now over - hopefully more writing will follow._

Chapter 3: Arrival

Timothy McGee was exceptionally glad that the Director was along for the ride. It gave them the opportunity to use her private plane, thus avoiding busy commercial airplanes or canvas seats.

Not that Gibbs seemed to mind either option, but McGee enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Tony and Ziva had picked their seats first, hiding at the back as though they were schoolchildren. They were giggling away at something. He was happy to leave them to their own devices, aware that if he went over, he would be teased and dragged into some crazy scheme.

Gibbs and the Director had chosen to sit with a table between them. The Director was busy trying to deal with her paperwork, while Gibbs was trying to distract her. He was moving files around, drinking her coffee and generally being a nuisance. McGee was glad that the Director seemed to be taking it so well; he did not fancy having to sit through a fight.

And he himself had chosen to sit in a corner on his own. He had deliberately picked a spot where he could see everyone else, but was content to look over Ryan Mayborne's file again. There was nothing out of the ordinary in it, although it didn't hurt to look again. He wanted to be inside Lieutenant Mayborne's head before they landed.

The main puzzle was what a Lieutenant in the United States Navy was doing after dark in Lincoln cathedral. After some research, he had discovered that Mayborne was Catholic but the cathedral was Anglican. And he had been based at a British air force base, known as Waddington, which was four miles outside Lincoln. So what was their dead man doing away from base and in such an odd place?

The manner of death was also odd. He had been impaled on a spike coming out of the floor? What on earth was a spike doing in a cathedral? McGee had stared at the crime scene pictures, but knew he was getting nowhere. He would have to see it for himself before he could try to figure this out.

He looked up from the file again and wasn't surprised to see Tony and Ziva still messing around. Gibbs had finally stopped harassing Jenny and was now supplying her with alcohol instead. At a guess, it was bourbon. It reminded McGee of their last trip to England, when he and Tony had drunk rather a lot and had suffered through an important meeting with hangovers the next day.

Sighing, he reached down for his bag and pulled out a paperback book. Another five hours before they landed. He might be able to finish this before then. Considering the horrendous jet lag he was certain to suffer from in the next few days, he might as well enjoy himself while he still could.

How could anyone make this trip on a regular basis? It might only be an eight hour flight, but the five hours added on due to the time differences made a huge difference. It messed up his sleep cycle for one thing. And it made the journey seem even longer.

He started reading his book again. Perhaps he could doze later.

* * *

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was bored.

Normally he didn't mind plane journeys. He wondered about the destination and what he needed to do once he landed. Mainly, he slept.

But he was on a plane with Jenny. Most of the time, she would liven things up for him. They would talk, or sit in silence together, or peruse a file together. Instead, she was trying to get to grips with her paperwork before they landed and she ended up focusing on the case instead.

Which left him to his own devices. He was restless, very unusual for him. He wanted to distract her properly, for her to leave her paperwork. They weren't in DC any more. The world would not end if the paperwork built up slightly.

He had started off by moving her files around. She had slapped his hand away but smirked. Taking that as his cue to continue, he had knocked a few files on the floor and stolen her coffee while she was picking them up. She had glared at him until he had handed it back over.

He had spotted a minibar when he had sat down, so he decided to fix them both a drink. It would give him something to do and he could always continue to distract her. She had looked up as he placed the glass in front of her, and frowned when he had put his hand over it so she could not have a drink.

"Find something else to do," she hissed.

Grinning, he decided to obey. Taking a sip from his own glass first, he slipped around the desk and settled in the seat next to her. She glanced at him for a moment, her face a perfect picture of confusion, before returning to her work.

He slipped an arm around her shoulders and drew her closer. She rested her head against him for a few moments before wriggling free and glaring at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, keeping her voice low. She placed her pen down and turned to him.

"How's Lily?" he inquired.

He was worried about her, more than he probably should be. But he had spent a few days prior to the wedding with her and knew how afraid she was of walking up the aisle. For everything to be destroyed by a sniper would have broken her heart. He wasn't made of stone; he wanted to know she was okay.

"I haven't seen her," Jenny told him.

"But you've heard from her."

She sighed. He watched her face carefully as she decided what to tell him.

"She has called me every night," she finally answered. "She's alive and breathing. I have no idea where she is, and she won't tell me how she is. I…"

He chose not to interrupt her. She was more likely to keep talking to fill the silence if he allowed her.

"I want her to open up to me," Jenny whispered. "She's my sister; we tell each other everything. I want her to call me and tell me everything, for her to pour out her heart. I want her to tell me what is going on inside her head. I want to comfort her. I just want to see her."

He pulled her closer to him. She came willingly and he rubbed her back while she calmed down. If he couldn't keep an eye on one Shepard sister, he could damn well look after the other.

* * *

Jenny stared out of the car window, lost in thought. Whatever she did, she found herself reminded of her sister.

She wasn't overly surprised. She and Lily were incredibly close, to the stage where they could impersonate the other without a problem. They could predict the other's actions and knew what the other was thinking.

She had been worried for her sister since that fateful shot. At first, she thought it had been aimed at her sister, but a few seconds later it all made sense.

It had given her an idea of who they were up against. This person knew Lily well – well enough to know that she had been previously married, and also to know the finer details of what had happened to him. Whoever this was wanted to hurt her in the worst possible way, and they had hit a particularly sore spot.

Lily had never managed to get over the death of her first husband. Even the night before her wedding, she had openly asked her sister if she was doing the right thing. Lily had also confessed that her heart broke every time she looked at her son, knowing that he had been born without his father and would never have the chance to meet him. It wasn't as though he was two states over and she could get in the car to force him to see his son.

She had already decided to help her sister out in any way possible to get revenge. Lily wouldn't settle for arresting the bastard; she would want to kill him. And Jenny knew she would tag along for the ride and even pull the trigger if she had to.

The car slowed to a halt and she forced herself to return to reality. The building in front of them was very strange.

It had three stories and was white. But the design was insane. At first glance, she had assumed they were outside old offices. Each room looked as though it had some sort of balcony, but it was no balcony she had ever seen.

There were a few trees outside, although they were difficult to see in the darkness. She could see the cathedral when she turned around, only a short distance away. It was lit up against the night sky, and looked spectacular. It made her realize just how young her country was; there were no twelfth century structures that immediately sprung to mind from across the Atlantic. She smiled as she took in the sight.

She felt rather than heard Jethro come up behind her and he pressed a soft kiss to her head. Mindful that his team were still around them, she reluctantly moved away. Together, they approached the hotel.

It didn't take them long to sort the rooms out. Thankfully, Cynthia had been an angel and had arranged everything for them. She hid a grin as she discovered she and Jethro would be in a room together. She would have to buy something to spoil her wonderful assistant rotten.

As she settled down to sleep, her thoughts drifted back to her sister. And with a start, she realized where she was.

Lily was in Lincoln.


	4. St Hugh's Shrine

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! And I have no idea why there are two spikes sticking out of the floor of Lincoln cathedral - except it's supposed to be a shrine._

Chapter 4: Saint Hugh's Shrine

Ziva David faithfully followed Gibbs back up the hill the next morning. This was harder than she had expected, although she had no intention of letting Tony know that.

This was all Jenny's fault anyway. The redhead had decided not to have breakfast in the hotel, but to find a local diner instead. And she had directions as well. That alone should have made Ziva suspicious. Unfortunately for her, she had decided that it could simply be a friend who knew the area fairly well and had made a recommendation.

She had a funny feeling she knew who the friend was. The place had been called _Jenny's_, meaning it was most likely a place that Lily had come across. At least it meant that Lily had been in touch at some stage. And the food had been delicious too.

But she had forgotten one thing. Steep Hill. It led from the town centre, up a windy path and came to an end at the cathedral. It meant that they did not need to bother with the map they had picked up at the hotel.

On the other hand, Steep Hill had been aptly named. It was incredibly steep. Cars were forbidden to drive along various parts of it. Elderly people took frequent rests and even teenagers looked daunted by it. She might be physically fit, but this was a nightmare. She did not plan to venture down the hill again if she could help it.

Behind her, she could hear Tony gasping for breath. Even McGee was doing better than her partner, which made her smirk. How Jenny was managing in her ridiculously high heels was beyond her. Half of the path was cobbled and it was a miracle the redhead had not broken her ankle yet.

She continued to struggle onwards, now understanding why an ice cream parlor was at the top of the hill. She was prepared to bet that they made a lot of money from the tourists. There had to be an easier way up this damn hill.

Finally, she reached the top. She took several deep breaths, annoyed that Gibbs was somehow unaffected by the hill. Instead, he had turned around and was watching Jenny make her way over. She had refused his help earlier, and now just looked exhausted.

She laughed when Tony was the last one to join them. He glared at her, but she was enjoying her moment. She suspected McGee would also be pleased by this, although he knew better than to bring it up right then.

"Cathedral?" she asked.

Gibbs understood what she was trying to say. Catching Jenny's arm, he made his way under the archway into the cathedral grounds. With another grin at Tony, she followed.

"Can we take a break for a few minutes, boss?" Tony called.

He got a glare for his trouble.

"I mean, it was a long walk up that hill and the Probie could do with time to recharge his batteries," he continued.

"And yet you are the one who looks tired," McGee commented.

"Shut up, McFreak," Tony retorted. "Since when have you been working out?"

Ziva punched Tony's arm. "Leave him alone. You can catch your breath when we get inside."

She ignored the glare he sent in her direction as she followed Gibbs and Jenny into the cathedral.

* * *

Tony DiNozzo was exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and die. But stepping into the cathedral was like being transported to another world.

The first thing he noticed was the cold. It was not particularly warm outside, but it was a lot cooler in here. It was also darker; the only light coming from electric lights. The natural light outside could not permeate the windows enough to make a difference.

He followed Gibbs down the nave, catching sight of the local cops hanging around. Clearly, no one was allowed past the nave without permission. Gibbs showed his badge, Jenny did some arguing and a cop stepped to one side to make a phone call.

Tony took the time to look around. It seemed a quiet place, although every sound was magnified. A few people were in the pews; some reading, others praying. He noticed a small shop towards the entrance and wondered if they sold anything interesting. Probably just tourist junk though.

Eventually, the local cops seemed to accept that they really were the feds. He was aware that they had no real jurisdiction, but this had the potential to be a political nightmare. The son of a well-known senator found dead in a mysterious manner overseas? They were lucky that the press hadn't got hold of this yet.

They followed one of the cops to the back of the cathedral. Tony drifted to the back of their little group. For one thing, it gave him a great view of Ziva's butt. It also gave him the opportunity to have a little look around without slowing the group down.

They passed an area for a choir, which was bigger than he had expected. After a few minutes, they reached the back wall.

This was obviously the spot. The blood was still staining the stone floor, mocking whoever had tried to get it all up. The window at the back was letting in a lot more light than the others, illuminating the area. There were columns at the side and he could see a passageway running behind them, a good distance up.

But the thing that caught his attention most was the two spikes sticking out of the ground. They were massive – a lot taller than him and reaching most of the way up the columns. For someone to end up impaled on one of those was a terrifying thought.

Ahead of him, Gibbs turned to the cop. "Find anything?"

The cop shook his head. "He was dressed casually, but he had his ID on him. No sign of anyone else in here. We called you once we figured out who he was."

"What are those spikes for?" Ziva inquired.

The cop smiled. "First question I asked. Apparently, they are Saint Hugh's shrine." He chuckled at the look on Ziva's face. "I know, I don't understand it either. But they're here and he fell on them."

"That passageway," Gibbs pointed. "How do you get up there?"

"I can show you," the cop offered. "Doubt there's anything up there."

Tony bit back his instinctive response. Searching everywhere was important, especially when the victim appeared to have fallen from such a place. "Probie," he nominated. "Follow the cop."

"Whoa," McGee replied. "No way."

"DiNozzo, David," Gibbs interrupted. He jerked his head in the direction of the cop.

Tony winced. This was not going to be fun.

* * *

Timothy McGee was glad to be on the cathedral floor. Even looking up to the passageway made him feel dizzy. Fortunately, Gibbs had decided to send Tony and Ziva up there instead, presumably knowing that if he himself went, he would feel so dizzy that he would fall and impale himself on the spike.

And Gibbs disliked picking new agents.

Instead, he stared at the blood on the floor, remembering that it was a sin to spill blood in a church. This had been a lot of blood. He pitied whoever had been chosen to get it all up. It was going to stain for a long time.

Gibbs and the Director were standing to one side; the Director persuading another cop to give them a copy of the autopsy report, while Gibbs glowered at someone else for looking at the redhead in a way he disliked. McGee was very glad not to be on the receiving end of that glare. If looks could kill…

He turned his attention back to the spikes again. They were a few feet away from the passageway, but if he had been running before he slipped, it would explain how Mayborne had fallen on one. Alternatively, someone could have pushed him in that direction.

He couldn't conclude anything from where he was standing. Hopefully Tony and Ziva would do a better job.

Right on time, Ziva stuck her head over the side. McGee winced; she looked unconcerned, but it was a long way to fall.

"Gibbs!" she called.

Gibbs and the Director looked upwards.

"We have found an alcove up here with some cigarette ends," she continued. "We have collected them for DNA. Mayborne may have been waiting for someone up here."

"Which would suggest someone else was here," Gibbs called back.

Out of the corner of his eye, McGee spotted a few cops having a hushed conversation. He assumed they were discussing what they had missed.

"Or he was waiting for someone else who did not show," Ziva suggested, from her position.

"That depends," the Director joined in. "Where were the cigarettes in relation to the body?"

Ziva pointed back along the passage.

"He was waiting for someone, but something made him move in this direction," the Director surmised.

"So we may have a witness?" Ziva asked.

"I doubt it," came a very familiar voice.

McGee turned around, already knowing who it was.

Behind them, where the local cops had stood, now stood Lily Shepard.


	5. Fireworks

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! I'm writing. I'm actually writing. I haven't been able to write in months..._

Chapter 5: Fireworks

Gibbs couldn't take his eyes off Lily. Part of him had been convinced that she had been lying dead in a ditch somewhere, and to see her obviously breathing was a good thing.

And yet she was holding herself differently. The fire in her eyes was blazing, but it wasn't directed at them. Sure, she was likely to lash out at them, but her fury was directed at whoever had destroyed her life. Again.

The rest of her face was closed off, unemotional. He doubted she had shed a single tear for her husband; she was so in control of her emotions. She needed to, and if he managed to get her alone he was definitely going to try to force her to deal with her feelings. He suspected she was focusing completely on her job and ignoring everything else.

Her appearance gave him a good idea of where she had been. The CIA had many places she could avoid most people, and that was only when they weren't lurching from one crisis to the next. He knew how busy that place normally was – no one would notice if a nuclear bomb went off, let alone a devastated Lily. And it would give her the opportunity to lash out a bit with the odd prank.

Her boss seemed to think she could handle a case. Gibbs doubted it. She needed an outlet for her emotions. He wondered exactly what she had done that had led Arbourne to send her overseas for a little while. Knowing her, she had probably decorated his office with squirrel intestines.

Again.

It meant that the CIA weren't taking this case seriously. Whatever their interest was, they were happy enough to send a messed-up Lily to deal with it. Either that, or it was something they were taking very seriously indeed and had bought back their best agent to handle it.

He wanted to envelope her in a hug, to give her a human connection he was sure she was avoiding. She almost looked like a pane of glass; she would shatter if someone touched her. So she held herself back, at arm's length from everyone.

He knew without turning to see that Jenny wanted to comfort her sister. But he also knew that now was a bad time. Lily was in business mode. If they tried to change the subject, Lily would just walk away. She had no real need to be here as far as he could see. It made no difference to her if they had this conversation now or in a week's time.

She had information they needed. Quite why she had chosen to come to them was a mystery, but he guessed she wanted to see her sister with her own eyes and not aided by something from a thousand yards away. She seemed to be drawing strength from Jenny, even though they stood ten feet apart. Her eyes had not strayed from her sister in the entire time she had been standing there.

They were dressed identically, as usual. It was a habit they had never been able to break and it helped them out a lot. But this time they could not swap roles easily. It would be obvious which one was Lily from her demeanor.

Placing his hand on Jenny's arm to prevent her from doing anything rash, he nodded at Lily.

"Why do you doubt a witness?" he asked.

* * *

Tony DiNozzo was very happy to see Lily. The possibility that she was dead had been tormenting him for the past week, and it was good to see her in one piece.

But it changed everything. What did the CIA have to do with a naval aviator? There had to be some sort of a connection or Lily would not be standing before them, looking as though she would rather be anywhere else in the world.

He didn't understand what she was feeling, but he could empathize. She wanted to be tracking down whoever had killed her husband, not babysitting a group of feds. She wanted to wring the life out of her husband's killer. She wanted to make him suffer in the same way she was suffering.

She stood before them almost as an avenging angel, albeit one that had got lost and needed to find her path again. Fury was evident in every fiber of her being, consuming her. He could only hope that she wouldn't burn out.

And somehow, she looked tired. Tony knew from experience that grief often meant a loss of appetite and Lily looked as though she had not eaten in a few days. When he added jet lag and her emotions, it meant she had to be running on empty. He wondered if he could tempt her with a meal at some stage.

He noticed Gibbs place a hand on Jenny's arm before asking a question.

"Why do you doubt a witness?"

She shrugged her shoulders, finally dragging her eyes off Jenny to look around. It took Tony a moment to realize that all the local cops had left. Lily did not want to be overheard.

"Lieutenant Ryan Mayborne was a CIA informant," she informed them. "He was not connected to me in any way, before you ask. I have been sent to … oversee."

From the way she spat out the final word, it was clear that she would rather be attempting to get the blood stain from the stone floor with a toothbrush than assisting with an investigation.

"Who was his handler then?" Gibbs inquired, assuming the role of leader and dealing with her. Tony wasn't sure she would be able to cope with a barrage of questions and Gibbs seemed to know what he was doing.

"Classified," she shot back. "What I am allowed to tell you, strictly off the record, was that he contacted his handler in an emergency the day of his death."

"What kind of emergency?"

Tony knew from experience that Lily wouldn't tell them any more than she had to. It was a waste of time trying. But he still hoped that Gibbs would attempt to pry it out of her. In this state, she would probably tell them to keep them off her back.

"Whatever it was, it was urgent enough for him to call his handler three times in five minutes," Lily replied.

"And when you questioned the handler…"

"When Arbourne questioned the handler," she corrected. "He told me that the handler came across the dead body here and left unobtrusively. We do not know what Mayborne uncovered, but I have been sent in to find it."

"Do you even know where to start?" Gibbs remarked.

"I have a few ideas."

* * *

Jenny struggled to keep up with her sister as they followed her out of the cathedral. Lily was walking at a fast pace in her heels, faster than Jenny liked. She knew it showed just how annoyed Lily was.

But at what?

Was it because she had yet to grieve? Was it because someone had murdered her husband? Was it because she had been ordered out of the CIA to deal with this investigation? Was it because she had run into them?

She had more questions than answers. Nevertheless, she was extremely glad to know that Lily was physically unhurt. Mentally, it was clear she was in a bad way, but she would take what she could at the moment.

What disturbed her the most was her sister's behavior when she had been talking to Gibbs. She had stayed on topic, been concise, not given away a drop of information more than she needed to, been fairly polite and not harassed anyone.

It was completely unlike Lily. It was as though someone had shut almost everything down and left them with a robot. Not a hint of emotion had come through the mask. She had been present in body but not in spirit.

It worried her. For the first time in a long time, she wanted Lily to do something spectacular. She would not even mind if Lily burnt down the cathedral, as long as she appeared to be something resembling her sister. She would mind if Lily killed Jethro, but Lily wouldn't do that on a normal day.

She wondered how long it would take Lily to work her way through this. Getting over her first husband's death had taken a long time, and the wound was still not healed a good nine years later. And now it had been ripped open; one loss on top of another. Given that, it was hardly surprising that Lily was refusing to allow anything to affect her in any way. She was still in shock.

They arrived at the entrance faster than Jenny had expected and Lily did not slow down as she walked out into the grounds. As she followed her sister out of the door, she suppressed a sigh as she realized it was still cloudy outside. Was it always like this here?

Lily had stopped a few feet from the door and turned around to face the team. Her expression implied that she was not in the mood for this conversation.

"I'm investigating this case so stay out of my way," she warned. "Go play tourist or something; I don't care."

"Lil," Jenny called softly. "Let us help you."

The glare she received in response would have killed a lesser person. Jenny felt hurt; her sister was never angry with her. Occasionally, Lily would be annoyed or aggravated, but this was definitely anger.

"Stay out of my way," she repeated.

Jenny knew she could not deal with Lily in a mood like this. She simply had no experience. Instead, she nodded her head softly.

"We're staying at the Lincoln Hotel," she told her. "If you want to talk, drop in."

For a brief moment, something akin to pain crossed her sister's face before the mask slipped back into place and she stormed off.

Jenny sighed. It was a start, at least.


	6. Waddington

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! And I really have seen planes flying that low on the road. I have a nice picture of one (taken when someone else was driving)._

Chapter 6: Waddington

Ziva David rolled out of bed at 0500 sharp. Dressing rapidly, thankful that there was no one else in her room to disturb at this hour, she left the hotel and decided to take her run down Steep Hill. It would be a good challenge to jog up it at the end.

When she finally returned, she fell into the shower. It was bliss. After lingering a little longer than she normally allowed herself to, she made herself get out and prepare for the day ahead.

She had no real idea of what they would be doing. Lily had made it quite clear that she did not intend to involve them in her investigation and she did not want to tell them anything more than they already knew. Which meant they were left with a dead body, an autopsy report that merely stated the cause of death – which they could have guessed – and no clues.

Jenny had tried to call her sister the previous night, when they had been out getting dinner. From the only side of the conversation she could hear, Ziva guessed that Lily was being evasive and stubborn, although Jenny was being careful not to push her. Knowing Jenny as well as she did, she felt that pushing Lily would only make her clam up further. The redhead needed to calm down and come to her senses before they would get anything.

She did not want to be in Lincoln for much longer. She missed the sun; the constant clouds made her heart ache. She missed buying takeout and being able to eat it on the spot. Why did the English insist on the food having to be put on a plate? It was takeout!

And with nothing to go on and no ideas of where to go next, they had no real reason to be around for much longer.

She smirked when she realized she could wake Tony up. He would insist on lying in bed for as long as possible, given that he was treating this as a vacation. McGee would be unable to rouse him, but she could have a little fun.

Slipping into the boy's room, she was unsurprised to hear McGee in the shower. Tony, naturally, was still snoring on the bed. She reached for the nearest bottle of water before tipping it over his head.

His scream made her laugh.

He jumped out of bed, wearing nothing, and looked around in confusion. A loud bang from the shower indicated McGee's impending arrival. Five seconds later, the room was full when Gibbs and Jenny burst through the door, both waving their guns around.

"I need coffee," was the only comment Gibbs made.

"So do I."

It sounded like Jenny's voice, but her mouth had not moved. Ziva whirled around to spot Lily standing in the doorway, looking bored.

"Lieutenant Mayborne was stationed at RAF Waddington, a few miles from here," she told them. "Fancy a drive?"

"Hey!" Tony protested. "Does any care that Ziva tipped a bottle of water over my head?!"

Ziva laughed as everyone filed out. "I guess not, Tony," she smiled. "You had better hurry up; I do not think Gibbs will want to wait for you."

* * *

Timothy McGee winced as they took another corner at high speed. He probably should have insisted that someone other than Lily drive. Even Ziva was preferable to this.

Thinking ahead, Lily had hired a seven-seat car. It was a bit of a squeeze, but it left them with a free seat. He wondered what would have happened if the car only had five seats. Someone would have had to travel in the trunk.

And now she was breaking the speed limit and racing for RAF Waddington. Up another steep hill, through a series of sleepy villages and onwards. She drove like a maniac, although Gibbs and the Director seemed unconcerned. Presumably, this was very normal for Lily.

Next to him, Tony appeared to be regretting his breakfast. He had managed to stick some clothes on and grab a few slices of toast before the group had left, and spent the journey to the car boasting about how fast he could be. McGee had hid a smile when Tony had turned pale at the idea of Lily driving.

Even though he was now regretting his own breakfast. Waddington couldn't be too far away, could it? The file indicated it was four miles and part of that had been through Lincoln itself.

"In the sky," Lily called out from the driver's seat, her eyes somehow never leaving the road ahead.

McGee looked up into the cloudy sky. There was nothing to see up here! And then he saw it…

An extremely low-flying plane, just a two-seat little thing. It was amazingly close to the ground and looked as though it was dancing in the sky. A smile crept onto his face and he forgot about the lunatic driving the car.

A few minutes later, Lily had them on the base. It had involved little more than her waving her badge at the guard and glaring. McGee wasn't surprised that the guard had not detained her for long; she was in a worse mood than when she had picked them up.

Suddenly, he realized she must have been here before. She knew about the low-flying planes, where the base was and how to get there in the least possible time. But it didn't appear as though she had been recently as the guards did not recognize her. What did a CIA agent have to do with a British Air Force base?

Breathing deeply, he climbed out of the car. Beside him, Tony did the same. Ziva was giggling at their actions, amused that they did this when someone else drove, while Gibbs and Jenny merely stretched their legs and looked around.

"American guy, British base," Gibbs mused aloud. "Care to tell me how they're connected?" He shot a look over at Lily, who had turned her gaze to the skies once again.

"Waddington is the main operating base for airborne intelligence systems," she informed them. "From what I understand, Lieutenant Mayborne and another officer were sent, in the spirit of cooperation, to have what you might term a 'nosey'."

Ziva looked confused.

"They were sent to look at how it all works," McGee whispered to her.

She nodded her thanks, before they all followed Lily. Luckily, the redhead was now focusing on the path ahead of her rather than the sky. She led the way to what looked like officers quarters, moving fast, clearly not happy to be shepherding them around.

* * *

Gibbs might have been paying attention to Lieutenant Rabb, but his mind never strayed far from Lily.

He had no idea what had led her to appear at their hotel that morning or why she was suddenly cooperating. She was giving them pieces and expecting them to put everything back together. He wasn't even sure if she had already questioned the man in front of them or if she was just giving them something to do.

Which did not bode well.

Normally he could read her fairly well. Rather, as well as he could read Jenny. With Lily, he always knew she had a trick up her sleeve, always knew she was concealing information, always knew that she was trying to get one over him.

Now, she was a complete mystery. It was as though he was dealing with a totally different person. She was withdrawn, but not unpleasant. She was quiet, but not biding her time. She was observant, but not looking for an opening. She was just… present.

He couldn't work out how she was staying so in control. After Shannon and Kelly had died, he had been all over the place. She might have forced all her emotions to one side of her mind, but she was doing it with a skill he had never seen before.

If she had handled the death of her first husband like this, it would explain her previous breakdown. She was bottling everything up, and would continue to do so until she couldn't stand it any longer and everything exploded inside of her. He knew he had to get through to her, knew he was one of the few who could get through to her, but he didn't know how.

Instead, he found himself focusing on Jenny's questioning of Lieutenant Rabb while trying to decide what to do with the other redhead.

"When were you posted here?" Jenny asked.

"Three months ago," Rabb replied. "Same time as Lieutenant Mayborne. Are the rumors true, ma'am? Was Ryan really impaled?"

"Yes," Jenny told him. "Were you handling anything classified?"

"No, ma'am," came the answer. "It's just a gesture of cooperation. Ryan didn't have any enemies, as far as I know."

"As far as you know?" Trust Jenny to pick up on the most important part of that phrase.

Rabb shrugged his shoulders. "He spent a lot of his free time in Lincoln rather than on the base, ma'am. He liked it out there. He didn't really talk about what he did when he was off base. Liked to keep things separate, I guess."

Jenny nodded softly and Gibbs felt the interview coming to an end. Given that Mayborne had been killed away from the base, it appeared as though his murder was not connected to it.

And from the look on Lily's face, she already knew that.


	7. The Dinner Dance

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! Oh how I hate writer's block..._

Chapter 7: The Dinner Dance

Tony DiNozzo stared at the food in front of him. This was not authentic American food. He didn't care what the menu said – this was congealed rubbish.

Gibbs, Jenny and Ziva didn't seem to mind, and were happily tucking into their own dinners. He was starting to realize that picking the biggest burger on offer had been a bad idea. At least Jenny had forced Gibbs to take them to something resembling a restaurant. His hotel room still stank of the takeout they'd had the previous night.

He poked gingerly at the burger, expecting some sort of witty remark from Lily before remembering that she was barely speaking. She had clammed up after lunch. Admittedly, she had still driven them around to various places at their request, but she appeared to be on another planet.

She had not even ordered any food; Jenny had taken over and made sure she had something. And even so, Jenny was picking away at the food on her sister's plate. Lily had managed a few fries after a series of glares from Gibbs. She was mainly just sipping at her water. Tony suspected she was counting down the seconds until she could slip away.

He wondered whether she would eat his burger. There were strange sauces dripping from it, which had made Ziva laugh. McGee was also a little bemused by his food, although he was tucking in. As Jenny ducked under the table to pick up a knife she had dropped, Gibbs gave Lily a good glare. Scowling, she ate a few more fries.

If this were any other time, he would find her actions amusing. She was like a little child, having to be threatened to eat. She wanted to go away and do something else, which in her case was probably kill someone, not watch the TV. She had slumped down in her chair, looking lost and alone.

His gaze flicked out of the window as another ambulance went flying past. What was it with ambulances here? They were everywhere. Turn a corner and another one was there. Ziva had even noted that if they were run over, it would be a good idea to be hit by an ambulance as they would have to stop to help. Tony didn't think that would be too much of a problem with the sheer number of them on the roads.

"Are you going to eat that thing?" Ziva asked, looking up from her plate of macaroni and cheese. Tony would have argued it was Italian rather than American, but he didn't think anything about this place was authentic. Even the music was appalling.

He glared at her.

"I have eaten worse," she teased.

Never one to let a challenge pass, he picked up his burger and took a huge bite. Not bad actually. It just looked disgusting. Somehow, it all came together to make the perfect food. He could get used to this.

A big glob of sauce fell on his shirt and he changed his mind. He hoped the dry cleaners around here were good.

* * *

Timothy McGee did not feel comfortable sitting next to Lily. She was there, but not there. If he didn't know better, he would have said she was a figment of his imagination.

Though she couldn't be. Not from the way Gibbs was glaring at her every time Jenny's back was turned, unable to order her to eat something but guilting her into it instead. Not from the way the Director tried to include her sister in the conversation. Not from the way Tony kept glancing at her, worry etched into his face. Not from the way Ziva had removed the napkin from her hands, preventing her from picking it into miniscule pieces.

He had offered her every sauce available, hoping she would respond. But she had decided to become monosyllabic; her answers never strayed from 'yes' and 'no'. It was incredibly frustrating, although it gave him an insight into her mind.

She didn't want to be here. Whether 'here' was with the team or in Lincoln was unknown, but she wanted out. She wanted to be on her own, to deal with her problems in her own way. She looked so vulnerable, with her hands in her lap and her head down. Without the napkin to pick at, she had started picking at her shirt cuffs.

For a brief moment, he wondered why she was still in the diner. The answer came to him almost immediately: because the Director was here. Lily was drawing strength from her sister's presence. She refused to break down in front of her. She was eating because her sister was sitting opposite her. If the Director left, Lily would push her plate away.

"Have you ever been to Lincoln before?" he asked her quietly. It would be good for her if she allowed herself to be drawn into some form of communication, and he didn't think the current loud discussion about baseball would help.

"Yes," she answered, her head still down.

"For work or vacation?" he continued, trying to come up with simple questions. The less pressure she felt under, the more likely she would be to respond. It meant he had to avoid all questions that could possibly be related to her recently deceased husband, and he hoped she had not been in Lincoln with Alex.

"Work," she replied. Her voice was soft and he wondered which memories he was stirring. Were they nice ones or disturbing, nightmarish ones?

"Anything you could tell me?"

"Classified." Her voice was barely a whisper and he had expected her answer. She cited it a lot, although he was sure she bent the rules when she wanted to tell them an amusing anecdote.

"Did you enjoy it here?" He knew he would have to change the topic soon, given the little information she was supplying.

"Yes," she noted.

It surprised him when she gave the ghost of a smile.

"Charlie – my CIA partner – and I broke onto RAF Waddington in the dead of night to steal something."

He stared at her, although she couldn't possibly know due to her head still staring at her lap. But she had spoken something, just a little something. A memory that she seemed to treasure. It was a lot better than she had been for the past two days.

* * *

Gibbs was not in the mood to deal with Lily. He cared more about her sister and it was becoming clear how worried Jenny was about Lily.

So he did his best to distract his lover, while simultaneously glaring at Lily across the table. She was cooperating, for the moment, if picking at her fries counted as cooperation. He had carefully moved the discussion topic to baseball, something both sisters enjoyed, and he continued to observe her.

He had smiled when McGee had drawn her out of her shell, although it had only been for a moment. At least she appeared to be lost in her memories for the time being. He suspected it wouldn't be long before she thought of Alex again, and was merely counting down the minutes until she shut herself off.

It didn't take long.

One moment her face was the most relaxed he had seen before she had started to deal with her wedding, and then she went dead. Her body tensed up, her face fell into the carefully constructed mask of the last few days and she stopped fidgeting. From next to him, Jenny glanced across at her sister and frowned.

He slipped his hand into Jenny's, trying to draw her away again. There was nothing either of them could do before Lily allowed herself to open up. There was simply no point in trying. McGee might have got through to her for a few minutes, but he knew from experience that Lily was now feeling guilty for allowing her thoughts to stray from Alex.

Part of him wanted to pull her into a hug and refuse to let go until she relaxed a bit. It would be a little bit of human contact for her. And yet he knew that Jenny knew best, and she had made no effort to touch her sister. Gibbs wondered if this was because Lily would just explode.

"You knew we weren't going to find answers at that base," he accused the redhead. There was a lull in the conversation and it could potentially draw her out for a little while. He needed answers and she was the only one with them right now.

"So?" she shot back, her gaze never wavering from her lap.

"You need to tell us what you know," he ordered. "Or my next phone call will be to your boss."

He did not intend to go through with his threat, but he hoped it would scare her. If Arbourne became involved, she could either be pulled out or forced to work with a partner. Neither were options she would pick on a good day.

She sighed, before shifting her gaze to Jenny. "Some nuclear material has been… mislaid."

"You mean it was stolen?" he inquired.

She nodded her head fractionally. She clearly didn't want to admit it out loud, and he wondered who had been idiotic enough to leave them in the current situation.

"The CIA has been trying to find it for some time now. The trail bought us to Lincoln a few weeks ago. Given that Ryan Mayborne had something urgent to report before he died, I think he located it."

"Where is it now?" he demanded.

She shrugged her shoulders again, still looking at her sister. "I haven't a clue."


	8. Fire in the Hole

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! _

Chapter 8: Fire in the Hole

Ziva David looked up from her research when Tony bounded through the door. They had chosen to work in Gibbs and Jenny's hotel room. It was easier than having to walk between three rooms when someone found something.

She had been for what was now becoming a familiar run that morning. As she had been jogging up Steep Hill, she had noticed Lily staring into a shop window. She had not stopped to talk to the redhead, mainly because she would have collapsed at her feet and needed resuscitating if she had done.

With the morning sun still shining through the window, she wondered why Lily had been awake at such a crazy hour. Personally, she did not consider it crazy, but she knew from experience that Americans did not like early starts. Standing outside a closed shop at 0600 was definitely an early start.

It would explain Lily's absence. She had told them about the missing nuclear material the night before, and had appeared willing to help. Her current Missing In Action status implied that she was asleep somewhere. Whether that somewhere was a park bench or a hotel bed was yet to be determined.

She allowed her gaze to travel to the balcony where Gibbs and Jenny stood. She could not be sure if they were conversing in low voices or just enjoying each other's company. She did not intend to disturb them either, if she could help it, but she had a feeling that Gibbs would want to know what she had found.

Earlier that morning, Gibbs had decided they would investigate Ryan Mayborne as much as possible. Lily seemed to think he had stumbled across the missing material, but they did not know if it was due to accident or design. Thus, McGee had been tasked with working out everyone he had ever come into contact with, Tony had been ordered to work out every part of Mayborne's life before he joined the Navy, and Ziva had found herself searching through the career of a dead man.

It was hard work, but it felt good to know that they were getting somewhere. At least they now knew what Lily had been trying to keep from them, although Ziva felt it was only a piece to a much larger puzzle. How had the CIA traced the material to Lincoln? Was it another contact or were they tipped off?

And now she had found something and she needed to talk to Gibbs. However, she was not stupid enough to disturb him when she was spending time with Jenny. He would be like a bear with a sore…

Was it arm?

Luckily for her, Tony was the one to draw their attention. He jumped onto the double bed in the middle of the room before promptly falling off it into a heap on the floor. Gibbs and Jenny both whirled around and frowned.

Ziva grinned. She could not resist. Gibbs stormed through the glass door, closely followed by Jenny.

"I have found something," she announced, before the glaring could begin in earnest.

Upon stumbling to his feet, Tony found himself headslapped. Gibbs glared at him before turning his attention to her.

"Lieutenant Mayborne had a week of leave prior to his death," she told the assembled group. "However, he did not return to the United States. From what I can tell, he went to the south coast of England instead."

* * *

Jenny mulled the new information over in her mind. Mayborne could have found the material on the south coast or he could have moved it to there. Regardless, it had to be connected in some way. The timing was perfect.

Her thoughts turned to her sister again and she wondered if Lily was withholding this piece of information from them. She was definitely hiding something, of that she was sure. But it could be about Alex's murder or it could have something to do with this case. Prying information out of Lily was like trying to get blood out of a stone.

It was definitely suspicious behavior on Mayborne's part. Why go to the south coast? It took her a few moments to recall a phone conversation from a few years ago with her sister; Lily moaning about the weather in Lincoln, England and talking about how she planned to spend a few days on the south coast to see the sun again. Mayborne's behavior was only suspicious in hindsight.

Still, they probably should go and check. And they should definitely inform Lily. Communication might be a two-way street, but they had to start somewhere. Lily had given them a few things and it was time to play nice.

For now.

Depending on how they journeyed down, Jenny knew there was a chance she could spend some time alone with her sister. Lily needed comfort and she could give it. Lily needed a shoulder to cry on, and the sooner the better. Jenny did not want a repeat of the events after Brian's death, and she hoped her sister was alert enough to realize the path she was treading.

And it was her job to deal with any problems that arose. Her job as the big sister to protect the youngest, no matter what. Jenny had no idea what she would do, but was also aware she couldn't sit by and watch her sister fall apart at the seams.

"Mayborne could have been on the south coast for another reason." Tony's voice cut into her thoughts, forcing her back to reality. "Maybe it was a girl? He didn't talk about what he did off the base."

"He was a CIA informant," Ziva retorted. "Perhaps he heard of something and took a trip?"

"He could have found something and made a trip," McGee added.

"Like what, Probie?" Tony countered. "A cheap beer?"

"Actually, the beer in this country is cheaper the further north you go," Ziva pointed out. "Everything is more expensive in the south. There is some sort of divide –"

Gibbs whistled to get their attention. "Rule fifteen," he warned. "I don't see any teamwork here."

"We should go," Jenny decided. "If we drag Lily along, we might find something."

"Are you suggesting we won't find anything without Lily?" Tony queried.

"No," Jenny answered. "But she knows more than she's telling us and she might tip her hand."

"Short of a bomb, I don't think anything's going to tip her hand," Gibbs muttered.

She had not expected an explosion to follow that statement. And from the look on his face, neither had Gibbs.

* * *

Tony DiNozzo followed his boss in the run across town. At first, they had headed to a good vantage point of the lower part of the town, just a short distance from their hotel. The black smoke had given them a good idea of where to go.

The smoke was coming from a structure on another road on the hill. This part of the hill was less steep and Tony cursed himself for not finding it sooner. It would take longer to traverse, but it would be worth every step.

As they approached, they saw emergency vehicles arriving on the scene. People had left their houses to see what was going on. Other people were milling nearby, as though the smoke was something healthy. Firemen were rushing about and paramedics seemed to be everywhere. The local cops had also arrived and were trying to hold the crowd back. Tony suspected it was not the easiest job out of the three.

The building, or what was left of it, was near the bottom of the hill. All the houses were connected, which confused him. Why would anyone want to buy their own house but have to put up with the racket from next door? And the bomb – it had to be a bomb – had naturally damaged the houses next door.

From the rather charred sign on the sidewalk, Tony knew this had once been a bed and breakfast. An old lady, who appeared to be the owner, was wringing her hands and sobbing. A cop was trying to calm her down but was not succeeding.

The crowd fell silent as a fireman ran out holding someone. The paramedics were all over the burnt body in a second. The only noise from the crowd was now a constant series of camera shutters closing as everyone tried to take photographs with cell phones and cameras.

Tony felt an irrational fury curse through his veins. These people should be helping, not standing back and recording this event for posterity. It was madness! He pushed his way through the hoards of people, and received several elbows and glares for his trouble. Behind him, he could tell the others were following.

He caught sight of a cop he had seen in the cathedral and caught his attention. The cop came over and gave a grim smile.

"Let them through, lads," he ordered.

The cops parted for long enough to allow the team through. It didn't take long for Gibbs to take over.

"How can we help?"

The cop shook his head. "We've got everyone out now," he told them. "Three fatalities so far, and I don't think Mrs. Higgins is going to make it much longer if she doesn't calm down." He jerked his head in the direction of the elderly lady.

"Any idea what happened?" Gibbs inquired.

"Gas main could have burst," the cop offered. "It's happened before and will happen again."

Tony had a funny feeling it hadn't been a gas main. Being fussed over by one of the paramedics was a familiar face.

Lily.


	9. The Journey Part 1

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! The route between Lincoln and Hastings really is as easy as Jenny makes it sound - as long as you know a few things. _

Chapter 9: The Journey Part 1

Timothy McGee was not happy to be in the back seat of the car. The scenery was beyond boring and he had nothing to do. If he wanted to talk to someone, he had to lean forwards and shout.

Still, at least Tony was driving. Ziva had not been happy to be relegated to navigator, but the Director had insisted that she wanted everyone to arrive alive and in one piece. McGee had thanked her profusely.

Much to his chagrin, Tony had taken control of the radio, claiming shotgun because he was driving. McGee felt he had an ally in Ziva, who was threatening to kill Tony if he did not find a better channel and soon. The songs on this station were incredibly old and there seemed to be only five of them on constant repeat.

He wasn't even sure where they were going. Hastings. It didn't sound particularly exciting. After some serious thought, he had recognized the name from a battle almost a millennium ago. The outcome had changed the course of English history. But he had no idea of what to expect. A muddy field? A sleepy village? A bustling great city?

They had to pass around London to get to it anyway. Tony has asked if they could stay in London and just commute, until Ziva had researched and discovered London was a two hour drive from the south coast. It was only sixty miles, but apparently the traffic was very bad.

McGee had already come to the conclusion that the roads here were in better condition than half the roads in America. Okay, there were roadworks every few miles, but the surface was smooth and it didn't make horrible noises. Everything was signposted far in advance, which was certainly helping Ziva with her navigation, and the rest stops were wonderful, if a little overpriced.

He stared at the file in his hands. Lily had given it to him before they had set off and suggested he read the others in. The file was only a single sheet of paper, which meant the CIA agent had deliberately left them with the basics. But it told him quite a bit.

The missing nuclear material was plutonium, something a lot of people would pay very highly for. It did not offer any suggestions for who might have stolen it or who they might be planning on selling it to, but it had several ideas of what it could be used for.

A dirty bomb was one. A tiny pellet of it, powered by compressed air, would be completely silent, but it was enough to make someone walk away a dead man. It could be slipped into food or drink. The list went on.

It was surprising what a small amount of material could do. Luckily, there was only a small amount missing or McGee knew they really would be in trouble. Still, it was enough to have the CIA up in a panic, and it seemed to be connected to the death of Lieutenant Mayborne.

He could only hope there would be no other deaths.

* * *

In an effort to force her sister to communicate, Jenny had chosen Lily to be the navigator in the second car. With Gibbs driving, she knew it would either lead to a serious argument or them getting very lost.

She was actually looking forward to an argument. It would show that her sister was returning to normal. An argument would clear the air and probably improve the mood of everyone in the car. It would certainly cheer her up.

And if they got lost, they got lost. She had already warned Ziva not to worry if they were very late. But the navigation part of things didn't seem too difficult. All they had to do was follow the signs to London, which was well signposted, and then follow another main road until it came to an end. It looked as though she could do the route in her sleep.

Which was the main problem. Lily had simply told Jethro when to leave the highway and which roundabout to pick at various points, and stayed silent the rest of the time. Gibbs had grunted at appropriate intervals. The car was silent after Jethro's third unsuccessful attempt to find something resembling country and western music on the radio.

In the front seat, Lily was trying to settle down to go to sleep, which belied the point of a navigator. Having made this journey before, she had stocked up on food and drinks before they left, pointing out quietly that the rest stops were horrendously expensive. Jethro had been left to whine about his desire for coffee while she steadfastly navigated him past every possible rest stop. It had made Jenny smile slightly. That, at least, was more Lily.

But the rest of the time she had been lost in her own world. She had dozed at the start of the journey, until Jethro had shaken her awake and demanded to know where he was supposed to be going. She had stared out of the window as much as possible, only speaking when she had to direct them.

Jenny wanted her sister back. It was a stupid hope, given that Lily would be grieving for a long time, but she wanted to know that her sister was still alive. Instead, she was completely shut off from everyone else.

"Wow," she remarked, making sure she could be heard in the front seats. "That's a big bridge."

It was a bigger bridge than she had been expecting, and it explained why the traffic had been crawling for the last few miles.

Lily cracked open an eye, glanced at it, and tried to go back to sleep again. "Not as big as the ones in Jacksonville, Florida," she noted.

"It's still big," Jenny argued. "I like it."

"Next time we go to Florida," Lily shot back. "I'm going to push you off a damn bridge."

Her tone might have been bored, but it had cheered Jenny up. That was definitely a normal Lily comment.

"Then I'll make sure I don't go back to Florida with you," she replied. "Maybe Jethro will take me."

"I'll put him on the no fly list," Lily muttered.

From the back seat, Jenny only just caught her remark. She frowned slightly. It was a normal threat, but she didn't say it in her usual joking way. She sounded as though she would do it just for the sake of it.

"Why would you do that?" she questioned.

Lily stayed silent for a few moments. "Shut up and leave me alone," she snapped, before settling down to go to sleep again.

* * *

Leroy Jethro Gibbs gripped the steering wheel tighter. He knew this was a bad idea. He'd only gone along with it because Jenny had taken him to one side and smiled sweetly. He would much rather be in the back seat, leaving the two sisters to chat quietly in the front seats. He didn't even mind which one of them drove. It would give him a chance to sleep and a chance for the females to have a girly talk.

Instead, he was stuck next to an increasingly irate Lily. At this rate, he half expected her to navigate him to Scotland instead of to the south coast. He was sorely tempted to stop the car and shake some sense into the redhead.

He didn't like anyone snapping at Jenny. He knew his lover could handle it, but it always made him mad. Lily had crossed the line from being a general annoyance to needing to be brought to her senses. The only reason he had not stopped the car and ordered her to walk was that he knew Jenny would join her.

Lily was being an idiot. They needed to work together. She was the only one in the group that had visited these places before and they needed her assistance. He understood that she was grieving, but she shouldn't have got involved if she couldn't handle it. All she was going to do was get herself killed.

Or even someone else.

He wanted information out of her without having to resort to threats. He wanted her to share information when she learnt it, not sit on it. He wanted her to explain why the bed and breakfast place she was staying in had blown up, and if it was her fault. He wanted her to stop acting like a teenager, show some form of emotion other than anger, and let them help her.

He found himself stopped by a barrier at a toll booth. That was strange; he didn't think England had any tolls. A hand tapped his, and he realized that Lily had the money ready. Perhaps she was more alert than he thought.

He paid the person on duty and drove off.

"Third lane," Lily warned him, her eyes still closed.

Glancing around, he couldn't see any signs, but presumed she was right. He felt a bit better a few minutes later when it turned out she had made the right call. He didn't fancy trying to navigate out of that problem.

After a few miles, he heard her breathing even out and he relaxed. Maybe they could just sedate Lily for the rest of this case. It would make her a lot easier to handle, and she would enjoy it as well.


	10. Hastings

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! Hastings really is as odd as I describe it._

Chapter 10: Hastings

Tony DiNozzo stared out of the window. A short distance away, he could see the choppy English Channel.

Lily had guided them silently to this place. It was a beautiful old house that had been turned into a small guest residence. The couple who owned the place were incredibly friendly and seemed to know Lily from somewhere before.

They had ended up settling into the three bedrooms; Gibbs and Jenny sharing one, himself and McGee in another, and Ziva and Lily in the third. After a quick poke around the place, Tony had discovered a spacious kitchen and an oddly decorated bathroom. Were people here obsessed with seashells or something?

The view from his bedroom window was lovely though. The day outside was beautiful and sunny, and he was surprised at how much he had been missing the sun in Lincoln. It also felt warmer here. He could understand why Mayborne had relaxed in the area for a week.

He continued to stare at the sea, noting the small fishing boats that were dotted on the waves. From the little research McGeek had done, Tony knew that the town was primarily a tourist destination, although fishing still went on here. It was the location of the biggest beach-launched fishing fleet in England. The McGeek had also mentioned that the whole town virtually shut down from October to April when the tourist season was over.

He couldn't imagine living like that. What was there to do if everywhere was closed?

Hastings was not what he had expected. It was a medium sized town, spread out across a nice patch of land adjacent to the sea. Most of it was set across two hills, known as the East Hill and the West Hill. The town centre itself was nestled between the hills, on the lowest patch of land.

And he was in a part of the town known as the Old Town. It definitely was old – he had seen some buildings that looked as though they were still standing by prayer alone. There were several extremely old churches around, and the roads were incredibly narrow.

From his post at the window, Tony could see some tall, thin black structures in the distance. He couldn't make out what they were, but they intrigued him. They seemed to be not far from the sea, although he knew his eyes could be playing tricks on him.

"Net shops," came a voice next to him. He turned his head slightly to see Lily next to him. He was slightly ashamed that she had managed to sneak up on him.

"Huh?" He was surprised to hear her speaking again.

"Net shops," she repeated. "Those tall black sheds. They're unique for a shingle beach. They were built to provide weather-proof stores for fishing gear. We can go and have a look later, if you want. There's a fishing museum down there. Very small, but quite interesting."

He remained gazing out of the window as she left. He was tempted to take her up on her offer. This was a very strange place…

* * *

Ziva David was bored. And a little chilly.

It had been a five minute walk from the place they were staying to the sea. Admittedly it had been down some very steep steps, which made her wonder why they seemed to end up in such hilly places. She was fairly sure it was something to do with England in general.

The weather was sunny and bright, which had led to her leaving her jacket behind. She had not expected it to be so warm for September. But she had not counted on the breeze from the sea, which was unexpectedly cold. Still, she was enjoying the charm of this place.

She had never been in a place quite like this before, and she had been all over the world. It almost reminded her of a small village, and yet it was a bustling town. It had many tourist attractions, and somehow also had little hidden gems in odd places. It was quiet, but also crowded at the same time. She could not reconcile the contrasts.

Instead, she continued to walk into the wind. After Tony's fifth complaint in as many minutes over the rumblings of his stomach, Jenny had suggested they find some form of food. McGee had pointed out that they could use their kitchen to cook, but he had lost the argument when Lily had quietly offered to collect fish and fries for everyone.

It appeared that the dish was very common on the south coast and there were no end of places to buy it from. Tony had suggested that they all make an evening out of it, and so she found herself walking along the seafront with the team.

She was enjoying herself, even though the tips of her ears were burning from the icy wind. Tony was walking rather close to her and she was attempting to use him as a wind break. Jenny had linked arms with her sister, and Lily had wisely kept her mouth shut about it. Gibbs had been left to stick his hands in his pockets and follow.

At last they came across a place that sold enough food to please all of them. Tony ended up ordering, and she was careful to keep an eye on him to make sure he did not deliberately mess the order up. While she counted the money out, being only one of the few who could cope with English money, she grinned at the others all sheltering between buildings in an effort to keep the wind away.

It took both herself and Tony to carry all the food over, and it was rapidly handed out. Lily gestured across the road to a place where the sun was shining and yet the wind could not reach. Grinning again, Ziva followed her.

From where they sat, she could see the waves crashing onto the stony beach. Around her, she could see young children splashing about in the water and hear older children laughing as they ran around. It made her smile at this slice of normal life. She doubted she would ever be able to have such a happy ending herself, but it was nice to dream sometimes.

It did not take long for something to draw her out of her thoughts.

CRACK

* * *

Gibbs had dropped to the ground the second he heard the sniper shot, and pulled Jenny down rapidly. Luckily, they had been sitting on a stone ledge and it gave them a bit of cover on the floor.

He wasn't sure how good it was. He had no idea where the sniper was.

But he had a funny feeling he knew who they had been aiming at.

The rest of his team had been as slow to react as Jenny, with the exception of Ziva. He was no longer surprised at anything the Israeli did. But Lily had been even faster at getting to the ground than he had.

And he didn't think it was connected to the last sniper she had encountered.

She was far too relaxed, for one thing. She might have pulled her gun out as fast as possible, leaving him to ponder how exactly she had managed to persuade the authorities to let her hold onto it, but she was amazingly calm. Almost as though she had expected someone to take a pot shot.

She was keeping her head down, fighting the urge to pop up and let a few rounds off. It was that particular action that was giving her away. If she knew they were not aiming at her, she would happily take her life into her own hands and try to launch a counter-attack. It was just something she loved to do. Instead, she was hiding as much as it was possible.

The beach behind them had stayed amazingly calm. Gibbs suspected everyone had assumed that a car had backfired. He had heard a disturbingly large number of them since he had arrived in the town. No one here seemed to know what a gunshot actually sounded like.

He was tempted to order everyone off the beach, but he doubted they would listen to an American 'tourist'. And where would they go? There was no cover for a long distance. He knew the sniper was aiming at Lily, so as long as she kept out of sight, no one would be hurt.

He took several deep breaths, unhappy that he was unarmed. Part of him wanted to lean over and snatch the gun from Lily's fingers, but he wasn't sure if she would fight him for the weapon or just plain shoot him for it. The only thing he could do was to wrap an arm around Jenny and hold her close.

They waited a good five minutes before they dared to risk their necks. Lily stuck her head up first, gun ready to shoot anything that moved. Gibbs was mildly impressed that she had somehow managed to conceal the weapon from any passers-by during the whole situation, and yet remained in a position to use it if necessary. When no shots were fired, the redhead stood up and dusted herself off.

The others followed more cautiously. Gibbs helped Jenny to her feet, making sure that she was completely unharmed.

As he did, he kept an eye on Lily. She was completely unconcerned, and it scared him. Did she really care so little about her life? He was determined to make her open up, and soon.


	11. The Truth About Darlene

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! I've been promising this for a little while..._

Chapter 11: The Truth About Darlene

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was surprised it had taken him so long to corner Lily. He had planned to drag her to one side once they reached the cottage they were all staying in, but Jenny had stuck to her sister's side like a limpet. He supposed it was natural after an unknown sniper had been wandering around, and decided not to pull them apart.

His next idea had been to sneak out of bed once Jenny was asleep, retrieve Lily from her own room and question her then. Unfortunately, he had been more tired than he had assumed and had fallen asleep too quickly.

Which was why he was standing outside the cottage at 0500, watching the sun rise with a redhead standing next to him.

He had found her out here in her own, wrapped in a jacket and looking lost. Quashing his original impulse, he had decided to let her look out over the sea for a while longer. It was obvious that Lily hadn't slept a wink and he wondered how much sleep she had managed since her wedding. He recalled her dozing on the journey to Hastings, but couldn't remember her sleeping at any other stage.

She was rocking back and forth slightly, without realizing. Even now and then, her head would fall to her chest before jerking upwards again. It made him suspect that she was consciously trying to stay awake. He knew the feeling; sometimes the dreams were too much.

After a little while, he realized that she was shaking softly. He didn't think it was the temperature; it was a little chilly, but nothing she couldn't handle. He took a moment to glance at her face, unsurprised that she was not crying. She had never cried in front of him before. She would never let her guard down enough.

Taking pity on her, he took a step towards her and wrapped an arm around her. She resisted for a moment, before leaning in closer. Her eyes fluttered shut and he gave her the opportunity to pull herself together.

Especially because he planned to destroy her defenses shortly.

He was slowly starting to understand how she ticked. While Lily had managed to figure him out in a matter of days, he was only just beginning to work out the best way to get her to do anything. If he wanted her to start telling him the truth, he was going to have to work hard.

Sometimes, he was sorely tempted to tie her up and leave her in the capable hands of Ziva. The Israeli knew how to get information out of unwilling people and she would do it quickly. It wasn't particularly humane, but he was running out of options with Lily.

She really did try his patience. The woman could sit on a secret out of spite for as long as she wanted. She was more stubborn than him, which was difficult. He had never met anyone, with the possible exception of Jenny, who could stick their heels in the ground so well.

"So," he began. "Who's decided to destroy your life?"

* * *

Lily tensed as LJ started to speak. His arm might still have been around her, but she knew the gloves were off.

She was surprised he had not tried this game earlier. She was aware that she had been spectacularly uncooperative, and the only reason she had given them anything was because her sister was around. She was not in the mood to play this game. All she wanted to do was curl up under a rock somewhere and cry.

After her… wedding, she had lost herself in the back streets of DC. It had taken a while for her to realize that she was wandering around, on her own, after dark, with no weapon and dressed in her wedding dress. The blood that was staining the front had caused her to cry, and she had decided to go to the one place she felt she would be safe.

The CIA.

She had locked herself in Arbourne's office after changing into a spare set of clothes she kept there. Her boss had been forced to work with her in the room. He had brought her food every now and then, but she had refused point blank to leave the office. Even when the fire alarm had been set off, she had located a fire extinguisher and remained within the four walls.

Although she had not admitted it to Arbourne, she was scared. She did not have the time to mourn Alex; she knew she was next on the list. She needed revenge first, and then she could fight her way back to sanity.

It had been a chance mention of Mayborne on the phone that had brought her out of her funk. She knew Mayborne's handler, and several things clicked inside her head at once. Much as she would have loved to leave the job to NCIS, she had barged in. This way she could kill two birds with one stone.

She was fighting to remain in control of her own emotions though. She knew she was not ready to be out in the field, not ready to play this game that she was already entangled in. She was trapped in a wilderness of mirrors, a state of extreme paranoia. Everywhere she turned, she knew someone was coming for her. She wanted nothing more than to run away from everything, but at the same time she did not dare.

And she had no idea how to explain everything to the man next to her.

"It's none of your business," she told LJ.

"It is my business," he shot back. "At this rate, Jenny's going to be burying you within a week. I will not stand by her side while she is forced to deal with losing you, all because you can't pull your head out of your butt."

"I'm fine," she insisted.

He snorted. "You're barely eating, getting incredibly sloppy, and you aren't on this planet half the time. You're going to lose whatever game you're playing."

She wriggled out of his grip and slapped him across the face.

* * *

He was not surprised at her reaction. His cheek burned, and he was forced to remind himself that she could have hit him instead. At least a slap was less likely to bruise.

Still, he was going to have fun explaining this to Jenny.

But he felt he had got through to her. She was glaring at him, trying to persuade him that his best option was to back down and apologize. He had absolutely no intention of doing anything she wanted.

She glared at him for a few moments longer, her hair appearing as though it was in flames from the rising sun. After a short while, her face began to soften and she turned away from him.

"Tell me," he ordered.

She sighed, expressing her displeasure, although thankfully not storming off. "Mayborne's CIA handler was one Darlene Webb."

He waited for her to continue. He was confident that he had never heard the name before and made a mental note to get McGee to research Agent Webb as much as possible.

"I've had my suspicions over Darlene for a while. Little things. Money disappearing, weapons being rerouted, informants vanishing and turning up dead a few weeks later…"

"Does this Darlene know of your suspicions?" he asked, when it seemed clear she did not plan to continue.

"We've been feuding for years," she replied, not answering the question directly. "I do something, Darlene does something… it was never serious though."

"And now it is," he guessed. He wasn't entirely sure why she had told him the connection with Mayborne.

"I think Darlene has snapped," she answered. "I can't exactly go to Arbourne and say this, but I'd be prepared to wager on Jenny's life. Darlene has decided to make me pay."

"And killed Alex," he guessed. From the way she tensed up, he knew he was right.

"And did that little faking of Jenny's death, and blew up Jenny's office, and came after me in the Louvre."

He had been wondering who that was. It explained why she had refused to tell him what was going on at the time. "So how do we find her?" he asked.

She snorted. "That might be part of the problem."

He stared at her back. He did not expect her to turn to him, but she did. An interesting smile crossed her face.

"Darlene Webb was born to a slightly crazy mother here in England. And _he _goes by the name 'Trent Kort'. I think you two have met," she grinned.

He bit his lip. This was definitely not good. "How does this tie in with Mayborne then?" he demanded. "You came out simply because he was his handler?"

She shook her head. "The material has been missing for the last six months. The CIA have been frantically trying to locate it in that time, but we've never got anywhere. I suspected Darlene… _Kort_, but I couldn't prove it. If Mayborne found the nuclear material and told his handler, Kort would have been forced to silence him before he could tell anyone else. It would explain Mayborne's interesting death. It needed to look like an accident."

Gibbs nodded, beginning to understand the web Lily was caught in. She needed to find Kort to get her revenge and she knew Kort was behind this. And at the same time, he was trying to kill her. This was going to be an interesting ride…

He did not stop her as she walked away from him, heading down the hill so that she could be on her own for a while. She had told him what he needed to know.

He wasn't sure whether he was relieved or worried.


	12. A Few Good Answers

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! _

Chapter 12: A Few Good Answers

Ziva David stared at the house in front of her. It was yet another oddity in this strange town.

She had woken up that morning to find Lily was missing. It had not surprised her; the redhead was obviously not sleeping well. She had seen Gibbs pottering around in the kitchen as she had left for a run.

Was she surrounded by insomniacs? Gibbs and Jenny survived on less sleep than was possible for anyone to stay sane on, Lily seemed to be throwing herself down the same path, while she herself needed her early runs every morning.

Although she had smirked when she had passed the boy's bedroom and heard Tony's snores through the thick door. Her heart went out of McGee; she hoped he had been able to sleep.

Gibbs had given everyone orders over breakfast. Quite how he had managed to unearth that Mayborne had a girlfriend in the town was unknown to the Israeli, but she had volunteered to find the address and talk to the woman. Tony had immediately offered to join her and she had agreed. She was not good with emotional women, and Tony had had a lot of practice over the years.

And so she found herself outside a little house, tucked in a corner and surrounded by other little houses. There was a large patch of grass that was shared by all the neighbors and it made her smile. This was a little community. While other people did not know their neighbors, these people probably got on well with each other.

The road was tucked between two main roads and was strangely quiet. Tony had described it as a cul-de-sac, but she was not sure what the term meant. Regardless, she wished she could live somewhere like this.

She allowed Tony to knock on the green door in front of them. She smiled when a head appeared from an upstairs window.

"Hello," she called.

The woman frowned slightly. "Who are you?"

"We, erm…" She did not know what to say. They had no jurisdiction.

"We're investigating Ryan's death," Tony called. "We just have a few routine questions for you."

The woman frowned again before disappearing back into the house.

"Did you have to tell her the truth?" she hissed at Tony.

"We're clearly not door to door salespeople," he retorted, his face returning to a smile when the front door was opened.

"I want to see some identification," the woman demanded.

They obeyed. It was not as though they could barge past her into the house anyway.

A few minutes later, they were settled in the front room. The woman had introduced herself as Sam McKenzie before leaving to make some tea. Ziva had tried to protest that they did not need any, but Tony had shot her his most charming smile and thanked her.

Sam smiled at them as she returned with the tea. "NCIS, right?" she inquired.

Ziva nodded, impressed. Few people had heard of them in America and it was odd to hear the acronym from an Englishwoman's lips.

"I was told to give you something should you ever stop by," Sam admitted. She reached up around her neck and removed a chain. On it lay a key.

"Do you know what that's for?" Tony questioned, sounding as confused as Ziva felt.

Sam shook her head. "When he came to see me last, he said that he had stolen something and I needed to look after this key for him. He said I could only give it to NCIS. Does it have something to do with what happened to him?"

"We do not know," Ziva told her. "But we will find out."

* * *

Jenny was worried. Seriously worried.

She had woken up to find Jethro missing. Concerned for him, she had slipped out of bed and set out to find him. It hadn't been hard – he had been right outside the front door of the cottage, talking with her sister. Knowing that she hadn't been seen, she had slipped back to bed, happy that Lily was opening up at last.

Her good feeling hadn't lasted. Although she had been able to fall asleep for a little while longer, she had finally got up again for good. Jethro had given her a mug of coffee when she entered the kitchen, earning him a smile and a quick kiss. She had stayed in the background for the impromptu meeting over breakfast, allowing Tony and Ziva to volunteer to locate the girlfriend and McGee to offer to see if they had missed anyone else in Mayborne's life.

While she and Jethro washed the dishes between them, his team had filtered out. And then he had drawn her to one side and told her everything Lily had told him.

Her heart had broken. All this time she had been assuming that her sister was grieving for her husband and now she knew exactly how much trouble she was really in. It explained why Lily was simultaneously clinging to her presence and pushing her away. And it scared her.

When Gibbs had left to try to locate Lily, she had wandered through into her own room. The sight in front of her had brought a faint smile to her lips.

Lily was curled up in the middle of her bed, fast asleep. Somehow she had managed to sneak into the cottage without any of them realizing. Jenny wanted to wake her sister up, to hold her tight and promise to look after her, but she knew how exhausted Lily must be for her to be sleeping with the sun streaming through the windows.

So she stood in one corner and watched the gentle rise and fall of Lily's chest. Each movement reassured her that her sister was still alive.

She started as Lily shifted softly. She whimpered in her sleep, but settled down again. Jenny crossed the room, placed her mug of coffee on the bedside table and lay down next to her sister. She slipped an arm over her and smiled when Lily snuggled into the embrace.

The cottage was filled with the little noises: the creak of floorboards, the drip of a tap in the kitchen, the birds singing in the garden. She couldn't remember feeling so peaceful in a long time. Even with her children across an ocean, she was not concerned. For now, everything was right with the world.

And when the going got tough, as she knew it would soon, she would cling to this moment.

* * *

Timothy McGee sighed as he disconnected the call.

Gibbs had tasked him with finding out if they had missed any other people in Mayborne's life. It was not a job McGee had liked, being aware that it meant they had failed before. If they had been doing their best, they should have found out about Mayborne's girlfriend.

And now he had to search through a dead man's life on his own. At first, he had left the cottage and settled into the local library. It was not what he had expected.

It was an old building and looked more like an office block from the outside. Inside, everything was old, including the computers. The Internet speed was annoyingly slow and he had found the information available to be useless.

So he had given up on that idea and called Abby instead.

It had been nice to talk to the Goth, even though he had been sitting on a cold bench at the time. She had happily babbled on about everything that had happened in their absence, including the news of Agent Richards' divorce, Ducky's new teapot, and Acting Director Wofford finding a disturbingly large supply of coffee beans hidden away in the Director's office.

She had been the one to come up with the bright idea of asking Mayborne's friend on the base if he knew of any other people their dead man could have talked to.

It had been easier said than done.

First, he had needed to find the telephone number. He had tried asking for a phone book in the library, but they claimed not to have one. He had ended up hacking into the RAF Waddington records using the useless computers to locate the number he needed.

And then he had been forced to wait until Rabb had finished his shift before they could talk. McGee had been incredibly happy that he had not stayed in the cottage. He would be risking the wrath of Gibbs for taking this long.

Eventually, he managed to get through. Rabb had racked his brains and he had sat on the cold bench. After a good deal of prompting, which made McGee wish he was on the base and conducting the interview in person, Rabb had remembered Mayborne mentioning a friend in Lincoln.

And now he knew he would have to trek back to the library, try to locate a Jayne Hughes with the little information he had, and then return to the cottage and inform Gibbs.

He rose from the bench, enjoying the feel of the sun on his face for as long as he could. The library was dark and although it had huge windows, very little natural light made its way through them.

After flashing his badge for the librarian again, and being forced to write his name and a great many personal details down on another scrap of paper – something he was getting increasingly frustrated about because he had dealt with the same woman the previous two times and he was fairly sure nothing had changed in four hours – he found himself in front of an even older computer than the last time.

He sighed again. All he knew about Miss Hughes was that she was a student in Lincoln. This was going to take a long time…


	13. The Journey Part 2

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! Lily's list of the vehicles needed to travel between Hastings and Lincoln is true. A car makes a big difference._

Chapter 13: The Journey Part 2

Tony DiNozzo was glad to be driving again. Thankfully, he had won the coin toss or Ziva would be driving them to their deaths instead.

They had come to the conclusion that their case was now back in Lincoln again. Everything seemed to be pointing there – they had found another friend of Mayborne's, although McGoo had yet to find a phone number, Mayborne had left a key with his girlfriend and there was nothing left for them in Hastings.

Still, he had not wanted to leave. He had been enjoying the sun and the warmth. It didn't help that he knew Lincoln would be cold and cloudy. And the rain would keep pouring down as well.

He had volunteered to stay in Hastings in case something else came up, pointing out that it would save everyone a trip back if it did. Unfortunately, Lily had quietly pointed out that for him to return to Lincoln on his own, he would need to get three trains, two Tube trains and a coach. He had rapidly changed his mind. Driving was a lot easier.

Lily had been a bit more vocal the day before. After returning to the cottage, he had found her eating something at the kitchen table, Jenny standing over her. From the various interactions that evening, he had suspected Lily had opened up, leaving Jenny and Gibbs knowing something important.

He was prepared to wait for them to tell him what it was in their own time. He doubted Lily would come out and say it, but Gibbs was likely to read them in at some point. He just needed to remain patient.

It had been Lily who had suggested they leave early in the morning. She had informed them that the traffic would be light, except around London. And she and Jenny had made a huge pile of sandwiches in the kitchen before retiring to bed, in an attempt to avoid spending ridiculous amounts of money at the rest stops again.

They had arranged to meet at a rest stop this time. Privately, Tony felt it would just give everyone the opportunity to argue over who was driving, and he hoped someone would back him up if Ziva decided she could drive the rest of the way. She really didn't seem to understand exactly how bad her driving was.

Lily had been right about the road around London. He had found himself in the middle of an impromptu parking lot. He didn't understand why it was termed rush hour when everyone was stuck going nowhere. Luckily the traffic had cleared fairly quickly, allowing him to drive on.

"The rest stop is just up ahead," Ziva informed him from the passenger seat, having appointed herself navigator again.

"I know," he growled.

"If you had been driving a little faster, we would probably have beaten Gibbs here," she pointed out. "Instead, they will be ready to drive on again when we arrive."

"I'd rather arrive there in one piece," he replied. "And I'm sure the Probie would agree with me."

Sounds of agreement came from the backseat. Tony tuned them out, trying to maneuver around a truck and make it onto the exit slip.

It didn't take him long to pull into a space at the rest stop. Now all he needed to do was find some coffee…

* * *

Gibbs stirred his coffee, annoyed that the Brits couldn't manage to produce a decent brew. Tea was awful, with all due respect to Ducky. And the coffee here was even worse.

Lily had muttered something about rest stops being the worst possible place to drink coffee, and had been starting on a series of horror stories about it when he had growled at her to shut up.

Despite the fact that he was pleased she was talking more.

She had been doing well since the night before. Jenny had taken her sister under her wing for a while, fussing over her and making sure she was kept busy. And she had been chattering away about some very random things, which had drawn responses from Lily. He had left them to their own devices, knowing Jenny knew best.

Jenny had overruled him that morning by decided that Lily was going to drive the second car back to Lincoln. He had been sorely tempted to get in the other car with the rest of his team, even though Jenny had offered to navigate. Only Lily's continuing improved mood had led him to obey Jenny.

Her driving had been as crazy as ever. She had cut up various trucks, a large number of other cars and even a cop. Gibbs had winced at the last one; Lily hated all cops and delighted in playing with them. Fortunately, the cop had decided against following Lily into the dense traffic or he knew they would have been rocketing along to avoid being caught.

It didn't take much to guess who had chosen their rest stop. Lily seemed to enjoy the constant noise of airplanes taking off and landing, and he knew they weren't very far from a busy airport. If he stood in the parking lot, he could see the low-flying planes. But he preferred to sit inside with his coffee.

While Jenny had also bought a coffee, Lily had contented herself with a hot chocolate. Gibbs was starting to think that the CIA agent had had the best idea. His coffee was more sludge than drinkable.

He looked up as his team traipsed in. Tony looked worn-down, Ziva looked as though she was still begging her partner to let her drive and McGee looked as though he wanted to murder the two of them so he could get some peace. The idea brought a smile to the ex-marine's lips.

"Coffee?" Tony inquired.

Gibbs jerked his head in the direction of the nearest caffeine joint. Tony could do with whatever small pick-me-up the so-called coffee would give him.

Ziva headed off in the direction of the restrooms while McGee drew up a chair to their table. Lily glanced up from stirring her hot chocolate to work out who had joined them, before sipping her drink and wincing. Gibbs suspected she wanted a decent cup of coffee.

"They're awful," McGee complained. "They've been arguing over everything."

To Gibbs' surprise, Lily answered before anyone else could.

"Steal the keys and drive back yourself?" she suggested.

McGee chuckled. "I'm not sure who would kill me first."

A sudden loud explosion in the parking lot drew their attention and they ran outside.

* * *

Jenny stared in horror at the burning wreckage of their car. If they had been in that at the time…

She felt Gibbs slip an arm around her and she leaned into the embrace. Glancing over at her sister, she saw Lily's hand was resting next to her still hidden gun. Evidently they were both as worried as each other.

She should have been expecting something like this. Kort was clearly determined to destroy Lily in whatever way he could, and it seemed likely that he had moved on to wanting to kill her. They should have taken more precautions, shouldn't have taken the obvious route back, should have checked the cars before they left…

Her mind was awhirl. She wanted to stick her sister on the next flight back to DC, or simply the next flight. Lily could take care of herself if no one knew where she was. Unfortunately, Lily's collection of fake passports and real cash had gone up with the car. It would take her a few days to start collecting again.

Around her, she could hear people wondering what had happened. She turned around to ask people to stand back, but Lily beat her to it.

"MI5," she announced, lying through her teeth and producing a fake badge from her back pocket. She had also put on a very fake but very convincing British accent. "Go and stand inside the building."

Jenny watched, slightly amused when everyone did what they were told. When Lily turned around again, she had a soft grin on her face.

"Gets them every time," she admitted. "Never leave home without the fake badges."

"How many do you have?" Tony asked.

Lily opened her mouth to reply and closed it when Gibbs headslapped Tony.

"We need to get into a single car between us," he warned.

"Erm, Boss?" Tony started. "There are five seats in our car, and six of us."

Gibbs turned to glare at Lily. Jenny grinned, knowing what was coming.

"I guess I'm riding in the trunk again," Lily groaned. "Why can't LJ do it instead?"

Jenny's grin grew wider when they both turned to stare at her. "Because you're smaller than Jethro," she decided. "Do as you're told, Lil. I'll drive and hopefully we won't crash."

"Or get pulled over," McGee pointed out.

"That's not a problem," Gibbs muttered as he walked over to their new car.

"I'll kill the cop in question," Lily confirmed. "Anyone here other than LJ and myself good at checking cars for bombs?"

Jenny watched Ziva and Lily follow Gibbs over to the other car. Knowing she had about five minutes for them to complete their search, she headed back inside to finish her coffee.

Lily returned first, downing the rest of her hot chocolate in one go and almost running towards the restrooms. Jenny followed at a more leisurely pace, first checking that someone was guarding their sole car.

As she drove out of the parking lot, she hoped fervently that no one would pull them over. She did not fancy trying to explain her sister in the trunk.

Although from the random banging against the back seats, she had a funny feeling her sister was going to annoy Tony, Ziva and McGee for the rest of the journey.


	14. Jayne

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! _

Chapter 14: Jayne

Ziva David did not know what to think any more.

During the second half of their journey back, Gibbs had filled them in on some of the things Lily had opened up about. She suspected that he had not told them everything, as some things Gibbs would regard as personal and not relevant. But he had told them enough to understand why Lily was not in a good way.

Even if the woman in question had been randomly kicking the back of their seats while she lay in the trunk. Gibbs had rolled his eyes over it, and had ended up calling her cell phone and ordering her to stop.

Naturally, it had not made a difference.

She had been glad to arrive back in Lincoln and Gibbs had booked them back into the same hotel. This time she would be sharing a room with Lily, but she did not mind. Lily could take care of herself, did not snore and knew how to keep quiet. She also did not leave the toilet seat up. Ziva would have preferred to share with Jenny, although she did not think it would be a good idea to let Gibbs and Lily share a room.

There would be blood everywhere. And probably a dead body as well.

Gibbs had decided that they would not waste the daylight and ordered them to locate Jayne Hughes. They had started by going to the local college's main office and asking for information, only to be told that they could not give student's personal information to anyone.

After a good deal of glaring from Gibbs and the poor lady on duty digging her heels in, they had decided to try another tactic. This involved standing around and asking everyone who passed if they knew the girl.

Eventually, they got a result. A passing lecturer had admitted she was on his course and Ziva had found herself lying to get more information, claiming that she believed Jayne's life was in danger. In reality, she simply did not know, but the lecturer believed her and went to dig up the necessary information.

And so they found themselves walking to a student accommodation that was just off the campus.

Ziva had not been to a British college before. She knew they termed them 'universities' and they were smaller than American colleges, but she was surprised at how small. Just about everything was off-campus: there was only enough accommodation for half the freshmen, one small shop existed and it sold very little, and there were no other amenities.

At last, they found the correct building. The intercom system was very strange and McGee had been the one to solve it. It took a few minutes before anyone answered.

The Israeli was not surprised when Jayne refused to allow them in. She suggested that they move around to a particular window on the ground floor, which she opened partway and glared at them. Ziva could see little of the room beyond, but suspected this was the room Jayne rented.

"Did Sophie send you around?" she asked through the window. "Because I told her it's not funny."

Ziva fished for her badge, a little annoyed that everyone else beat her to it.

"NCIS," Gibbs told her. "Naval Crim –"

"Criminal Investigative Service," Jayne finished. The brunette did not look happy. "I've heard of it. I'd like to point out that you have no jurisdiction outside of the United States and its military bases on foreign soil."

Ziva smothered a grin. Gibbs hated lawyers.

"Let me guess," Gibbs growled. "A law student."

"Forensic science, actually," she shot back. "But I do my research. Is there a reason you're here or can I go back to my studies?"

"We're here about Ryan Mayborne," Ziva interrupted. She did not plan to referee a verbal fight between Gibbs and this girl.

"Who?" Jayne looked confused.

"Ryan Mayborne?" she tried again. "He died a week ago in the cathedral? He was impaled?"

She continued to look blank.

"Do you watch the news?" Gibbs asked.

She shook her head. "Between seven hour practicals and lectures at nine o'clock every morning, I don't tend to have a lot of spare time on my hands."

Ziva looked at the others. Where did this leave them?

* * *

Timothy McGee did not look up as Tony continued to pace the floor in front of him. He had work to do. Work that involved proving Jayne Hughes had known Ryan Mayborne.

Mayborne's friend, Rabb, seemed confident of the existence of a friend called Jayne Hughes. McGee was focusing on the possibility that he had got the name wrong. This was involving an illegal hack into the college records, but it was necessary for their case to continue.

And Tony's actions were not helping. He was being a complete distraction. McGee knew if he asked the other agent to stop, Tony would start harassing him or talking about something he didn't want to know about.

Instead, he continued to prowl through the college records, glad that the Internet connection he was on was a darn sight better than the library computers he had been forced to use in Hastings. They had been next to worthless.

Finally, he managed to find a complete list of all the students. There was only one Jayne Hughes and no one seemed to have a similar name. Out of curiosity, McGee decided to read the girl's file. He justified it by arguing that it could provide valuable information as to why she had lied to them.

There was nothing suspicious. She was a good student, on the Forensic Science course just as she had said. He wished Abby was with them so that she could charm the student. They could curl up somewhere and discuss mass spectrometers or whatever floated their boats.

Sighing, he decided to check phone records. It would give him something else to do, other than watch Tony wear a hole in the floor. He doubted he would get anything, but it was one less thing for Gibbs to complain about when he returned.

As if on cue, the door opened and Gibb appeared, followed by Ziva. McGee tried to remember where the Director and Lily had vanished to – something about a vegan tearoom? He supposed it was a good idea to keep Lily busy. She was less likely to kill someone for starters.

Gibbs glared at him, not needing to order him to start talking.

"No variations on Jayne Hughes that Rabb could have misheard," McGee offered. "She doesn't seem the type to be involved in criminal activity. I can't even find a parking ticket on her."

"Age to get a driving license is higher here than in America," Ziva added.

McGee shrugged. "Regardless, she doesn't have anything on her. I've checked her student records and she looks like a straight A student."

"I sense a 'but'," Gibbs growled.

"_But_ I've just checked her phone records and she was definitely in touch with Ryan Mayborne," he admitted. "It doesn't track."

"What doesn't track?" Tony finally stopped pacing and asked his question.

"Why she would lie to us about it," McGee noted. "What possible reason could she have?"

"We're going to find out," Gibbs decided, sweeping out the room again.

McGee put his laptop away. Time for another trip across Lincoln. And now it was dark, he didn't know if Jayne would be in.

* * *

Tony DiNozzo knew that he was filled with nervous energy. He just needed to burn it off.

He didn't like the idea of Kort coming after Lily. It was wrong somehow. Kort was supposed to bug them, and Lily was supposed to bug Gibbs, and they were not supposed to be feuding.

Although he should have assumed they knew each other. They both worked for the same master. But he had assumed that the CIA was big enough to keep the pair of them apart.

Evidently it wasn't. And evidently Lily had been holding out on them for a while. Not that she usually told them everything, but the feud sounded like something she would normally mention. Even if it was only in passing.

He had been amused to learn that Kort's real name was Darlene Webb. Who named their son that?! No wonder the guy used an alias. It reminded him of Lily in a way, refusing to give her real name to anyone. Although he doubted that Lily was embarrassed by her name – 'Lilith' tended to hint at her true nature.

They were crossing the college campus, slowly heading towards their destination. Tony knew they would get answers out of Jayne this time; Gibbs would force her to start telling the truth. They might not have jurisdiction, but they seemed to be getting on well with the local cops.

He caught sight of a blaze of fire and his stomach plummeted. He knew where that was coming from. It was the student accommodation that Jayne lived in…

Gritting his teeth, he started to sprint across the campus, the others close behind. Damn! Was this connected to the bomb at Lily's previous hotel?

More importantly, he hoped Jayne was okay. They really needed to talk to her.


	15. Key Ring

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! _

Chapter 15: Key Ring

Ziva battled her way through the crowds of people, determined to find their girl. Jayne was a curious link in a chain and could very well know what was going on.

She had lied to them about knowing Mayborne. She had lied about not knowing of his death. Virtually everyone in Lincoln and the surrounding area knew of his death; how could she not know? All the students must have been discussing it for days.

So what else was she lying about? What other secrets was she concealing?

Ziva continued to push herself through the crowd. No one wanted to let her pass. Behind her, she could just see Gibbs, Tony and McGee as they tried to get through as well. She doubted the fire department would be able to get to the building if these people continued to regard this as a spectacle.

A tall man elbowed her in the ribs and she forced herself not to go for her knife. Her gun might have been removed from her when she entered the country, but she had managed to come into the possession of a nice collection of knives. Defending herself would not be a problem.

She pushed past a small group of girls who seemed very drunk and highly amused by the whole situation. Another group of girls nearby were sobbing at the loss of their belongings. She did not know how to react to the two differing responses and so she continued onwards.

Thankfully, the fire department arrived, as well as the cops, and the area began to be cleared. She continued to hunt for Jayne. It did not help that she had not seen the brunette well the last time they had met. There had been a window between them and the light had been on their side, with little going through the window to light up the girl. Jayne had been able to see them, but they had not been able to see her.

Ziva could remember that the girl was tall and had long, brown hair. Unfortunately, every second girl in the crowd answered that description. And Jayne might not even be among them. She could be in a bar somewhere, oblivious to her residence now being engulfed in flames.

She wished she had a photograph they could wave around. Someone somewhere had to know where to find their missing girl. And it was always possible that Kort had run off with her or she was still in the burning building.

Although she did not believe it could have been possible, more people seemed to be arriving to look at the fire. The incessant fire alarm was starting to get on her nerves. Surely everyone was aware of the emergency and someone could switch the damn thing off? The crackle of the flames, the heat and the smell were all obvious warning signs now.

A short distance from her, she could see Tony chatting to a group of college girls. She rolled her eyes. She doubted her partner would ever grow up, but it would be nice if he could show a little professionalism for once.

Finally, her eyes rested upon a girl standing on her own, staring sightlessly at the fire. She did not need a photograph to know who was in front of her.

Jayne.

* * *

Gibbs glared at the brunette. They had been lucky to find her in the crowd, and Ziva had promptly hauled her a short distance away from the others and called them over. This would be a discussion that her fellow students did not need to hear.

She was an accomplished liar. He was surprised that she had been able to slip under his radar. Normally, he was able to force people to tell the truth. This girl had annoyed him to the extent that he hadn't cared whether she was being honest or not. He had just wanted to headslap her.

And yet she looked as though she had never lied in her life. There was an innocence about her that he didn't understand. He suspected she had been drawn into this deadly game unwillingly and it would not take much to persuade her to start talking.

Her eyes were still on the burning building behind them. He wondered briefly how many of her possessions had been lost. From what little he had been able to see, the fire had been burning in her ground floor room. He doubted she would have little left but ashes. Until she was able to contact her parents, she only had the clothes she stood up in and an overnight bag that she clutched in her hands. He hid a smile at the presence of mind of this girl, able to focus for long enough on her way out to grab something.

He had half expected her to be dead. Kort did not seem the type to go easy on them and if he thought this girl was involved in some way, she should not be alive. Part of him was glad; Jayne had her whole life ahead of her and did not deserve to be killed because of something she could not control.

The crackle of the fire behind him reminded him of the night he had burnt Jenny's townhouse down. He still wasn't able to get the flames out of his head. He knew he had been forced to do it to hide the body of another dead woman, but it reminded him of a time when he had believed Jenny to be dead. She might have forgiven him, but he needed to forgive himself.

And now he needed to scare her into telling him the truth. He wasn't sure whether it would take no effort or a lot. She was an enigma to him; clearly petrified and yet also able to keep a cool head.

"Let's try this again," he growled. "Ryan Mayborne."

"Was my friend," she admitted, not looking at him. "End of discussion."

"I don't think someone tried to kill you simply because he was your friend," he argued.

That caught her attention. She turned to glare at him. "It's just a fire," she pointed out.

"In your residence after we talked to you," he countered. "Tell us what you know."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Ziva produce a chain with a key on it. "Do you know what this fits?" she asked.

Jayne's eyes widened. "Ryan told me that I could only speak to someone who gave me that key. I know what it fits."

"Take us there," Gibbs ordered.

She shook her head. "It would look too suspicious. It's only around the corner. I'll be five minutes."

He looked at her, trying to determine if she would run or would return with whatever Mayborne had hidden. Seeing no deceit in her, he nodded his head. Ziva handed over the chain and Jayne disappeared into the crowd.

"Now what, boss?" Tony asked.

"We wait," he decided.

* * *

Tony was rather enjoying himself. There were a lot of college girls around, most of them dressed in very pretty outfits, and all of them looking for a good time.

It was a pity that Gibbs was with them. He felt like joining in some of the discussions. Some of these girls needed a shoulder to cry on after losing their belongings in the fire. He was quite good at comforting people.

He also knew that they could potentially have information that would help them determine what had happened here. It looked obvious: Kort had come along and burnt the place down. But there was always the possibility that this had been an unfortunate accident.

The immortal words of Leroy Jethro Gibbs crossed his mind: no such thing as a coincidence.

So it probably was Kort then, but that didn't help them much. They needed to know when the fire had been set and where. They needed to protect Jayne, not let her wander off alone into the night with their only piece of evidence.

He sighed, turning back to look at the flames. Another student passed him and he shot her a wide grin. Beside him, Ziva punched his arm.

"What was that for?" he complained.

She glared at him before turning away to look for Jayne again.

He rolled his eyes. He would never understand his crazy ninja Mossad chick. She continually baffled him. He wasn't even sure they were on the same planet sometimes.

One thing he was sure of was that she would have no problems killing him if she so desired. His little assassin was good at her job. He fully expected to wake up dead one morning after doing something she would consider unforgiveable.

Even though he didn't understand what she considered to be unforgiveable. Women did not seem to belong to the same species as men.

Looking over the crowd, he spotted someone pushing their way through. He stifled a grin, determined not to give Ziva another opportunity to punch him. He would have to be pretty idiotic to tackle that crowd again. They were still growing in number. But this person seemed determined to make their way through.

It wasn't until they reached the other side that he realized it was Jayne. She looked tired, but was holding a box. He stared at it. Mayborne had left this with her?


	16. Pieces of the Puzzle

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! Did I mention I like twists..._

Chapter 16: Pieces of the Puzzle

Timothy McGee was fed up of being put on hold. He was sure someone was out to spite him.

Aware that the box Jayne had given them the night before could very well contain the missing nuclear material, they had not wanted to open it with so many people about. Instead, Ziva had called a contact within MI5, the British intelligence agency, and they had arrived to retrieve the box.

And now his job was to find out what MI5 had found. He had deliberately waited twelve hours before calling, knowing that it would take some time to work out what they had found. But no one wanted to talk to him and he was beginning to wonder if he was doing the right thing.

Surely Gibbs could get better information. He would shout down the phone and scare everyone into cooperating. Or Ziva. She could use her contact to tell them what they had found. He didn't know why _he_ had been chosen to deal with these people.

They were as close-knit as the CIA. And whenever they wanted something out of the CIA, Gibbs ended up calling Lily. It was just a lot easier than arguing with the switchboard and demanding to be put through to specific people. Lily simply dealt with everyone for them and they had to persuade her to hand over the relevant information.

He rubbed his eyes, desperate for more sleep. Toy had spent the night snoring away, sounding like a drunken sailor. McGee had been debating whether to put a pillow over his head. In the end, he had knocked on Ziva and Lily's door and begged them to let him in. Lily had offered him her bed, pointing out that she wasn't sleeping at the moment.

And then she had vanished.

From Ziva's lack of reaction, McGee guessed she had been doing this a lot. He chose not to dwell on it, deciding that he needed sleep first.

It hadn't taken him long to discover that Ziva snored as well. He had spent the next four hours trying to work out which one of his teammates snored louder, before he ended up hauling a pillow out to the hallway and sleeping there. It was a silly thing to do, but he had been so tired.

Now, while waiting on the phone, he wondered if he could persuade Tony and Ziva to share a room. At least then he would be in a snore-free room. Even if Lily snored, she wouldn't be sleeping anyway.

Finally, someone picked up the phone and started talking to him. It didn't take him long to note all the information and he made sure to thank the man profusely at the end. He didn't know if Gibbs would ask him to call back and it always helped to build bridges.

He stood up slowly and made his way over to Gibbs' room. The others were all seated in there, mainly looking bored. He had chosen to conduct his phone call away from them because he didn't like the idea of them all listening in.

"That was the missing nuclear material," he told them.

He noticed Lily sigh heavily, before reaching for her cell phone, presumably to call her own boss and tell him the good news. The others all looked relieved.

"All of it?" Lily checked.

"All of it," he confirmed.

* * *

Jenny smiled across at her sister, happy that they had solved one problem.

But it still left them with others. Kort was still out there somewhere and they needed to find him – both as Mayborne's killer and as the person who was coming after Lily. And Lily was still not out of the woods with regard to her late husband.

They had been left on their own in her room. Jethro had sent his team out of the hotel, ordering them to stay away for a few hours. They seemed happy to go off and explore, as well as play at being tourists for a little while. They deserved a break. After all, they had located the missing nuclear material.

After watching Gibbs attempt to wear a hole in the floor with his pacing, Lily had thrown the nearest book at him. One argument between her sister and her lover later, Jenny had ordered Jethro to take a walk somewhere else. She suspected he had not gone far, but it was nice to be left alone for a bit.

Lily was still with her, in body but not in spirit. Her sister was trying not to fall asleep again. Jenny was sorely tempted to slip her some sleeping pills at some point, knowing that they would allow Lily the sleep she needed and prevent her from dreaming at the same time.

Her sister was also eating more often, something that Jenny had been keeping a close eye on. She was trying not to be so obvious about it, and she guessed Lily was trying to build her strength for the fight ahead. But she still seemed lethargic and lonely. She was also ill, however much she tried to hide it. Jenny suspected it was a stomach bug and hoped it wasn't connected to any food she had eaten herself. She didn't want everyone to come down with food poisoning.

Deciding to take a more pro-active role given that they were alone, Jenny slipped off the bed and settled on the chair next to her sister. Lily glanced at her before returning to pretending to read her book. Jenny suppressed a grin; the book was upside down.

"Do you need to talk?" she asked softly.

Lily turned again to her, bemused. "I don't _need _to do anything," she argued.

Jenny wrapped an arm around her sister before continuing. "I know how much Alex meant to you."

Her sister nodded, tears coming to her eyes. She furiously blinked them away. "I finally thought I could move on in my life, and then that bastard decided to interfere."

Jenny kept quiet. Her sister needed to vent and this was the perfect opportunity.

"He knew how much I loved him. He knew how difficult it was for me to walk into that church. And he still…"

Lily trailed off, very close to tears. Jenny wished she would just let them fall.

"I'm going to kill him," Lily declared, once her emotions were back under control. "I'm going to hunt him down and kill him, and I don't care who tries to stop me."

* * *

Lily stood outside, allowing the rain to hit her. She didn't care anymore.

She had left the hotel shortly after opening up to her sister. She didn't want to waste time discussing things that could wait. She wanted to get outside and hunt for her enemy. She wanted to kill him with her bare hands.

She knew she was focusing on her anger instead of her grief, but she needed something to drive her. Her anger was keeping her focused, keeping her alive. If she allowed herself to wallow in despair, she would not survive this game.

Never before had she wanted out of the game so completely. Everything was screaming at her to leave England, to get on a plane and run away. Somewhere no one would ever find her. Somewhere she could live out her days in peace. Somewhere she could forget who she was, forget about her past.

And then she remembered her son, waiting for her in America. She couldn't run away from her sister either; Jenny would always be able to track her down. Running was the coward's option.

But she was a coward. Her son would manage without her. She was a useless mother to him anyway, always leaving him at his school. She loved him from the bottom of her heart, but she couldn't be the kind of mother he deserved. She couldn't be anything to anyone any more.

All she knew was that time was running out. By now, Kort would know they had found the material. He would be coming up with a plan of some sorts and she knew she would have to find a way to stop it. It was her job; it had always been her job.

She let her head fall backwards, the rain splashing over her face. Cursing herself, she wished she had thought to bring a jacket outside with her. She was getting cold. However she couldn't go back to the hotel just yet. She needed the time alone to get her head straight.

She forced her head upright again, looking out over the lower half of Lincoln. Down there, out of sight, people lived their lives. They ran around, worrying about work and friends, moaning about their spouses and their new boss. They worried about money and vacations and whether they would be able to afford that nice new coat they had seen.

And she was left to worry about more important things. Her life. The life of her unborn child.

She closed her eyes again. She had absolutely no idea what she was going to do about anything.


	17. Disappearing Act

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! _

Chapter 17: Disappearing Act

Tony DiNozzo laughed again at his own joke.

He had come up with the idea of a celebratory meal. After all, they had located missing nuclear material. They deserved a little down time before gearing up to go after Kort again.

They had no way of knowing how long this job would take. Kort was wily and knew how to avoid them. The only advantage they had was that he would be sticking close so that he could attempt to kill Lily again. Nevertheless, he could always melt into the shadows and hide his face if the heat got too much for him.

A little break was a good thing. It would keep everyone on friendly terms with each other. He didn't want them to be at each other's throats after developing cabin fever. And he preferred a more laid-back approach to doing things.

It was nice to see everyone so relaxed. After a good amount of bourbon, Gibbs had an arm around Jenny and they both looked very comfortable. Ziva was cracking jokes along with him, while the Probie appeared less nervous and more happy. Even Lily had managed to smile a little. Given what she was going through, he thought it was a start.

She had been the one to recommend this place. It was a small bar on top of the hill, not far from their hotel, but it had a surprisingly cozy atmosphere and was rather quiet. Not to mention the bourbon was good, judging by the rate the boss and the boss' boss were knocking them back.

He enjoyed seeing them so close. It usually meant that the boss was in a good mood. But it was something else as well, something that warmed the cockles of his heart. He wanted them to be happy.

It wasn't going to stop him from attempting to bug their room though. He wanted some nice footage of them. He wondered if he could involve Lily in his little plan, before realizing that the redhead probably had enough compromising material on her sister and Gibbs as it was.

He rubbed his eyes softly before taking another sip of his beer. He wanted to flirt with Lily to cheer her up, but was aware that it would be a bad idea at the moment. For starters, she was not drinking with the rest of them. And also she had just lost someone she loved. He wasn't sure whether she would punch him or shoot him.

He watched as her eyes closed while she sipped her water. She didn't look very well. Now that he thought about it, she hadn't looked well in a while. He had been putting it down to her grief, but she looked more ill. She was pale, her hands were shaking ever so slightly and she was exhausted. He hoped she was not contagious; Gibbs would kill her if she made everyone else ill.

She looked his way for a moment and he smiled at her. She sent him a weak smile in return. He decided it was time to cheer her up, and slipped off his bar stool.

* * *

Timothy McGee was enjoying the evening out.

They'd had something Lily had termed 'pub grub', which turned out to be a nice assortment of homemade meals. He hadn't had anything so nice in a while. He made a mental note to come back to the same place when he next got the opportunity.

Although he doubted he would for a while. By tomorrow, Gibbs was going to be focusing solely on finding Kort and ripping him limb from limb with his bare hands. Lily would be cocooned by her grief again, while Jenny would be trying to maintain the peace. And the 'kids' would be caught in the middle.

Not for the first time, he wished Abby was here. She would keep everyone in line, including the great Gibbs himself. She would pout and get her own way. Even Lily gave in to the Goth.

Abby would hug them when they needed it and even when they didn't. She would order them to bed at reasonabe hours, demand to know why someone hadn't done something and cheer everyone up whenever necessary. She would rule them with an iron fist, but also act as a great confident.

He had always wondered how she managed to get whatever she wanted out of Gibbs. Over the years, she had been the only one to avoid headslaps, even after some of her actions. She regularly played with him a little, had trained him to keep her in Caf-Pows, got to wear whatever she wanted, and could probably knock his coffee over and stay out of trouble for it.

He wasn't sure if it was because of her nature or if she reminded Gibbs in some way of Kelly. In a sense, she was like a little girl. She needed reassurance from people around her and she never seemed to age. Yet she was also one of the strongest people he knew. She had even intimidated Ziva when she had first come to America.

Tony laughed loudly, drawing McGee out of his thoughts. Clearly Tony thought he would make everything better for Lily by telling her what were probably very rude jokes. Admittedly she was smiling a little. He decided not to begrudge her any happiness for a while.

He looked over to Gibbs and the Director, who were completely wrapped up in each other. He doubted an explosion would draw them back to reality. They were sitting very close, holding hands and conversing softly. He was counting down the minutes until they made a quiet exit together.

As he watched, Lily gave Tony another smile, before placing her glass of water down and reaching for her jacket. From the looks of things, Tony wanted her to stay a little longer, but she shook him off and disappeared outside. Tony wasn't left alone for long though, as Ziva appeared and took the empty seat.

McGee smiled as he turned back to his own drink. For now, everyone could take care of themselves. Tomorrow, the hunt would begin in earnest.

* * *

Standing outside in the rain again, this time Lily allowed the tears to run down her face.

It was so hard to pretend that everything was okay with the others. She was not okay. She was not going to be okay. Her life was a complete mess. And she couldn't tell them her deepest secret without having to endure more looks of pity from them all.

Both her heart and her life had been destroyed by a single bullet. She was not going to allow Kort to get away with this. She still hadn't got the hitman who had taken out her first husband, and she did not plan to lose a second time. Now she knew who it was, she planned to go after him full force.

She knew the others were back at the hotel. She had followed them back, staying in the shadows all the way, just to check that they had made it. They were all a little bit drunk. All it had done was remind her of why she couldn't drink herself. It was so tempting to drown her sorrows in bourbon, but she couldn't.

She would never forgive herself.

She simply didn't know how much longer she could stay strong. Recently, she had been feeling better, but not much. She was getting better at hiding everything.

Her eyes flickered closed, and she allowed the rain to mingle with her tears. She needed someone to tell her what to do; she couldn't carry on like this. All she wanted was to curl up under a rock and wait until she had no responsibilities. She wanted to start her whole life again, somewhere she had never been before. Somewhere no one knew her past. Somewhere she could just be an eccentric lady and live out her days in peace.

Her heart aching, she decided to head back to the hotel. Part of her was tempted to wake LJ up simply to annoy him, but she didn't have the energy to deal with the inevitable fight if she did. Instead, she decided to content herself with a warm shower. She could stand under the flow of hot water for as long as she wanted and no one would hear her if she cried.

It took her longer than she expected to walk back, yet somehow it seemed to happen in the flash of an eye. Ignoring how familiar it felt, she dragged herself up the stairs onto their hallway. Recalling the room numbers, she tried her door first. She remained as quiet as possible; she didn't fancy Ziva pulling a knife on her.

Her gut started tingling and she froze. But she couldn't hear anyone else moving around…

She decided to check on the others. Her shower could wait a little while. It was probably nothing anyway. Jenny and LJ's door was opposite hers, so she tried that one first. They were fast asleep, curled up together. It made her smile. She remembered the days when she had no worries in the world.

The boy's room was next door to hers. She snuck in and immediately started to panic.

McGee was in his bed, dead to the world, but Tony wasn't. His bed looked slept in, but she could see the bathroom door was ajar and the light wasn't on…

She searched the room quickly, before returning to her sister's room and jumping on the bed. It was the easiest way to wake everyone up, after all.

"Scram," LJ ordered, his eyes staying shut.

"I can't find Tony," she told him.

He opened his eyes, stared at her for a moment to ascertain that she was not lying, and tumbled out of bed.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment. She should have seen this coming.


	18. A Missing Agent

_Thanks to my beta Kristen!_

Chapter 18: A Missing Agent

Ziva David was not happy to have been pulled out of her warm bed so that they could search for Tony.

It was obvious that he had gone for a walk somewhere. His bed had been slept in, but he had probably woken up and decided to stretch his legs. They were all worrying over nothing. He would saunter in a little while later and wonder what was going on.

Or he could have gone to meet up with a girl. It was more like him than popping out for a quick walk. It would explain why he had not left a note behind; he expected to be back before anyone else woke up. It was simply unfortunate that Lily had decided to check his room.

What was Lily doing checking the rooms anyway? Had she really been checking them, or had she been looking for Tony specifically? She had not done a good job of raising the alarm – she had only alerted Gibbs and Jenny. And then the redhead had disappeared into the shower for a long time. Surely if she was really concerned for Tony she would have been out searching for him?

Nothing was making sense any more. She was surprised that McGee had not heard Tony leave. They had been sharing a room after all. And McGee was a light sleeper. Tony must have been very quiet to sneak out like he had done.

She sat on the edge of her bed, having decided to murder Tony with her bare hands when he returned. Deep down, she realized she was worried for him, but she did not dare to show it. She wondered if Lily was staying out of the way because she knew exactly what it was like to lose someone and didn't want to lose anyone else.

The redhead finally emerged from the bathroom, dressed casually. Ziva did not say anything, but she knew Jenny had pulled the exact same clothes on a short time before. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail and she looked tired. But she could not go to sleep now. The Israeli planned to wake her up herself if she had to.

Lily stared around the room rather blankly, as though she was trying to work out where she was. She blinked rapidly a few times before crossing to the window and peering out.

"I doubt he is standing in the street," Ziva told her.

Lily snorted but said nothing. She moved towards the dresser and withdrew a gun, concealing it beneath her clothes.

"He will show up," Ziva continued.

The door to the room opened suddenly. Ziva jumped up, expecting it to be Tony, while Lily pulled her gun out.

But it was just Gibbs. McGee and Jenny followed him into the little room, and the door was closed again. Lily holstered her gun and took up a position from which she could see the whole room.

"Anyone?" Gibbs demanded.

"He is probably with a girl," Ziva began.

"Gone for a walk?" McGee shrugged.

"Kidnapped by a crazed Trent Kort," Lily offered, her gaze firmly on the door.

"We'll start with the easier options," Gibbs decided. "Canvass the area quietly. Check the bar we were in earlier and see if he's sitting somewhere nearby. Meet back here in an hour."

Ziva rose quickly to her feet. She could check a lot of places in an hour. Besides, Tony would be back by then.

He had to be.

* * *

Gibbs held Jenny's hand tightly as they continued to search for Tony.

Part of him had wanted to leave her sleeping. She looked so peaceful and so beautiful. But Lily had leant over and shook her sister awake. He wasn't surprised; clearly she knew that if Tony had been taken, they could not leave Jenny behind on her own.

Instead, he had decided to take his lover with him. The other option was to leave both Lily and Jenny back at the hotel, but he felt better knowing that Jenny was with him. Besides, he didn't think Lily would want to stay out of the action. She was awake anyway and she needed the adrenalin rush. Also, she knew Lincoln better than the rest of them put together.

Even so, he had drawn her to one side before they had split up and told her firmly that if she thought she was in any danger, she was to scream the place down. He didn't want her to vanish too and for none of them to realize for a while because they thought she had gone to clear her head.

He didn't think she would scream – she was far more likely to shoot – but it was worth a try. He had warned her that she might be next, in his own roundabout way, and she would be more on her guard. He didn't want to have to deal with the inevitable hysterics from Jenny if anything happened to the other redhead.

He continued down the street, half an eye on Jenny at all times. He honestly didn't think she would be in any danger, but he wanted to protect her.

His thoughts turned to his senior field agent. He hoped Tony had simply been stupid enough to go for a walk and forgotten to leave a note, thinking he would be back before anyone noticed. He was even hoping that Ziva's idea was right, that Tony had disappeared to spend time with a girl. He was once again reminded of Tony's well-known love for college girls. This was a city full of them.

And yet he doubted this was the case. It was more likely that Kort had got Tony somehow. If there was any other explanation, Jenny would have to stop him from killing Tony.

He squeezed Jenny's hand tightly as they set off down another alleyway. He didn't expect to find Tony down here, but it was a nice little shortcut.

He couldn't think of any good reasons why Tony would leave the hotel without informing someone or leaving a note. And it meant he was forced to consider more sinister options. He didn't like it.

Once again, he wondered what Lily had been doing checking the rooms at 0230. She claimed it was a gut feeling, but he wasn't sure what to believe from her any more. She was disturbingly good at concealing the truth from him.

Down another alley, and up another. Still no sign of DiNozzo. He rubbed his eyes furiously. He sincerely hoped someone else had had better luck.

* * *

Jenny looked around the lobby as she stepped back into the hotel, Jethro by her side. Nothing appeared to have changed.

Yet in a way, everything had.

They appeared to have lost Tony. She hoped against hope that he was upstairs waiting for them. She and Jethro had been gone for ninety minutes, well over the time they had arranged to meet back. It hadn't been on purpose; they had lost track of the time and then got lost themselves.

She knew Lily would find it amusing when she got the opportunity to take her sister to one side and tell her about it. Lily had probably been the first one back. She would know the best places to look anyway.

And she had looked tired earlier. She suspected her sister would be curled up in bed by now, fast asleep and oblivious that she had yet to return. She smiled as she imagined Ziva and McGee trying to rouse her. Lily tended to lash out when woken up unexpectedly.

Reaching for Jethro's hand again, she headed for the elevator. She wanted to go back to bed herself, to get some more sleep. The alcohol she had consumed a few hours ago – was it really just a few hours ago? – was still floating through her veins. The beginnings of a hangover were creeping up and she didn't want to have to deal with this now.

They staggered out into the hallway together. Jenny smiled as she snuggled closer to Jethro. She knew he was also feeling the effects of the alcohol. At least Lily hadn't been drinking or they would have to deal with a very hungover CIA agent.

It suddenly occurred to her that Lily hadn't been drinking at all recently. She had expected to deal with a lot more Lily hangovers than she had been. Her sister usually went on a little drinking spree when she was stressed. Perhaps she was trying to avoid doing so until she killed Kort?

Finally, they made it into their room. As expected, Ziva and McGee were sitting on the bed while Lily was fast asleep. Jenny couldn't help the grin that came over her face.

Gibbs removed his arm from her and nodded towards the others. "Well?" he demanded.

"No sign of him," Ziva reported, looking concerned. "Perhaps he will return in the morning?"

Lily's cell phone went off, and she groaned as she fumbled for it. Jenny recognized a few swear words from other languages in there as well.

"Shepard," she slurred, still half asleep.

"Where does that leave us?" McGee wondered.

Gibbs opened his mouth, but stopped when Lily sat bolt upright.

"Wait –" she tried, but she ended up shaking her head and pulling the phone away from her ear.

"Something we should know about?" Gibbs inquired.

Lily turned to face them. "That was Kort. He will give us Tony back for the nuclear material."


	19. Mulling

_Thanks to my beta Kristen!_

Chapter 19: Mulling

Ziva David was worried. At first, she had assumed that Tony was being his usual infantile self and had wandered off for a while. Now she knew he was being held hostage.

And there was little she could do about it.

The room had fallen silent after Lily had informed them about her phone call. Everyone was thinking hard about what this meant. Lily had allowed herself to fall back on the bed, her eyes fluttering closed. McGee sat on one side of her, looking confused. Gibbs and Jenny stood in the doorway; Gibbs as unreadable as ever while Jenny looked furious.

Ziva herself was a mix of emotions. She was worried for Tony, yet she was also livid at Kort for kidnapping him. She was also angry at herself for not realizing that Kort might try something like this. She had played the spy game for many years and she knew every trick in the book. Why had she not thought of this?

Part of her blamed McGee. Why had he not woken up when Kort had entered the room? Or had Kort managed to lure Tony outside somehow? Why had McGee not noticed and raised the alarm earlier?

She let out a deep sigh. She could not blame McGee. It was not his fault. If he had noticed something, they would either have a dead McGee on their hands or Kort would be in the possession of two hostages. It was unlikely that they would have been able to take the CIA agent down without their guns, which they were not allowed in England. Meanwhile, Lily and probably Kort were armed.

How had Lily been able to get her gun past airport security? Not for the first time, Ziva wondered if the authorities knew Lily was armed. It would be just like the redhead to procure a weapon clandestinely in any country she entered. There were always backstreet sellers who asked no questions. The alternative was that Lily had contacted MI5 and obtained their permission.

Which was unlikely. Lily preferred working without permission and as under the radar as possible.

Her mind flicked back to Tony. Where was Kort keeping him? Would he have the opportunity to escape? She suspected that Lily had not told them everything about the phone call. Kort had probably stated a time and place for the swap to occur, but they needed to sort out what they were going to do before that.

The Israeli knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to get her hands on Kort and show him how good she was at torture. He would be begging for her to kill him before she finished.

A soft smile crept over her face. She was going to make him pay. In blood. No one hurt her and got away with it.

The brief question crossed her mind as to why she was so protective of Tony. She pushed it to the back of her thoughts. It did not matter. All that mattered was getting her partner back in one piece.

* * *

McGee was furious with himself. He had been sharing a room with Tony! How had he not noticed anything happening?

But no one seemed to be blaming him. Everyone was stunned into silence. They couldn't believe that Tony was in danger yet again.

Tony was definitely a magnet for people accusing him of murder. There was no doubt about that. And he always seemed to be the one getting into trouble with Gibbs. But being kidnapped? McGee could recall hearing about at least one kidnapping moment that had occurred before his time, but not much since.

Evidently, the criminal underworld had discovered that Tony would be an annoying hostage. Kort was probably going to let him go before too long. Tony would go on and on about movies and girls, to the point of driving someone insane. McGee knew from experience.

As much as Tony drove him up the wall, he looked up to the man. Tony was a good agent, if a little eccentric at times. He knew how to get the job done. He had a lot of experience that McGee could only dream of. He knew he was better behind a computer himself, although he loved being in the field. He felt he was helping people more. The adrenaline rushes had something to do with it as well.

If anything had happened to him, Tony would have woken up and fought off an intruder single-handedly. McGee did not doubt it. Why then was he unable to do anything? When they got Tony back – McGee refused to think of it as an 'if' – he knew he would be teased more than ever for this incident.

Still, all he wanted was to find Tony. The best chance of that seemed to be going ahead with the deal, but McGee knew it would not be that easy. Kort wanted the material for a reason, something they did not yet know. Or, he corrected himself, something the NCIS team did not know. Lily had suspected Kort from the start, and he did not think she would have done so without a motive in mind.

The obvious answer was for money. But there were other options, including traitorous ones. McGee wished Ducky was around so that he could get inside Kort's head. Or even Lily's.

He wanted Lily to open her eyes and take charge. She knew Kort better than the rest of them; he was coming after her and they had been feuding for years. She would know what to do. Instead she was half asleep again, clearly not focusing on the problem at hand.

He leant across and shook her. Without opening her eyes, she shook him off.

"Leave her," the Director ordered from her spot across the room.

"We need her," McGee pointed out.

The Director shook her head. "She's awake and that's all that matters for now."

"What are our options?" Ziva asked, as though she had not heard the previous exchange. "What can we do to get Tony back?"

* * *

Gibbs couldn't decide who attracted more trouble: the Shepard sisters or Tony.

Between them, Lily and Jenny had been held hostage, had an insane stalker, been the target for bombs and bullets alike, faked their deaths, blown themselves up and been attacked in the street. Tony had been kidnapped, framed for murder more times than he could count, been attacked by Mike Franks, had more than a few crazy ex-girlfriends and had had his car blown up.

Some days, he wanted to stick Lily and Jenny into some form of protective custody. However, he knew Lily would find a way of breaking out and Jenny would hate having her freedom restricted. They could both take care of themselves. And Tony had nine lives. He always seemed to make it out in one piece.

It didn't stop him from worrying. It never would. But he knew that worrying would make him unable to focus at the job at hand, so he ignored it. When they found Tony, he would headslap his agent for allowing himself to be caught. If Ziva didn't shoot him first that was.

However much Ziva tried to hide it, she was scared for her partner. Gibbs recognized the expression on her face; it was one he himself had worn when Jenny had been kidnapped when they were working in Paris. He doubted Tony and Ziva had broken Rule 12, but he was starting to get the feeling it would only be a matter of time.

Not that he wasn't breaking it himself, but his agents had been good and not mentioned it. He wasn't even sure if it still stood. How could he enforce a rule when it would make him a hypocrite? There was no way he was letting Jenny go again, so the rule needed altering.

"We need to rescue Tony," he decided aloud.

Standing next to him, Jenny rolled her eyes. "It's a trap," she argued. "Kort wants us to rescue him."

He glared at her.

"I'm not saying we don't rescue Tony, I'm saying we need to think carefully about our next move," she clarified.

"Tony wouldn't want us to give in to Kort," McGee weighed in. "He would want us to refuse the deal."

"We do not have a choice," Ziva observed. "Tony or the material. We have to work out what we value the most."

"We don't even have the material," Jenny noted. "It's still in London, in the capable hands of MI5."

"So we steal it back," Ziva suggested. "Or we ask to borrow it for our own tests. Or Lily asks to return it to the United States. They do not have to know what we plan to do with it."

"Stealing it is not an option," Lily noted, her eyes still closed. "But I could certainly get my hands on it if I played my cards right. The question is: do we make the deal or not?"

Gibbs looked at the others, gauging their opinions.

"How about we make the trade and then strike?" Lily offered. "Kort's guard will be down."

He looked back at his team and Jenny. They all nodded slowly.

"Fine," he agreed. "When and where?"


	20. Lincoln Cathedral

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! Sorry about the late update - had a little NCIS marathon last night with a friend._

Chapter 20: Lincoln Cathedral

Jenny was not happy about being in the passageway that Mayborne had fallen to his death from. There was something disturbing about it. It didn't help that the passage was a good distance off the ground.

The team were all split up around the cathedral. Lily had informed them that the trade was to take place at midnight, and now all they had to do was wait. It was easier said than done. The night was cold, making the cathedral even colder. The wind howled around the outside, causing goose bumps to rise on Jenny's arms. Although she would not admit it to anyone else, she was scared.

And she was alone. Gibbs had decided to appoint her the role of lookout, which she suspected was an excuse for keeping her out of the way. From her vantage point, she could see a good deal of the cathedral. She was starting to understand what Mayborne had been doing up here.

She could not see the others, but she knew where they were. Gibbs was hiding in the shadows at the far side of the nave, opposite the main door. McGee was hidden by the main door itself. They doubted Kort would enter that way, especially when there were other smaller, less noticeable entrances, but they could prevent him from leaving.

Ziva and Lily had possession of the box containing the nuclear material. Jenny did not want to know how her sister had managed to persuade MI5 to hand it over. All she knew was that Lily had disappeared for most of the day, presumably travelling to London and back to retrieve what they needed. There were precious other options.

The two females were the most visible. They were pretending to hide, but Jenny knew they were standing in a niche. If she squinted, she could just make out their forms in the darkness.

The whole place was only lit by the moonlight shining through the windows. Jenny fervently wished there was some other form of light that would not give away their positions. The haunting sounds of the cathedral were raising her heartbeat and she was having to force herself to stay in position. She wasn't afraid of the dark, but it was the entire situation. She knew she would feel better if someone was with her.

Yet she knew this was the best thing to do. They needed to lure Kort inside, for him to hand over Tony before they attacked him. She wondered what the cathedral authorities would think after this. They hadn't exactly been able to tell them of their plans; Lily had broken in for them and Jenny had been appointed as the one to deal with whatever arose out of this. She had a feeling she would simply blame the whole thing on the CIA.

A scratching noise made her want to scream, until she realized it was just a rat. She shuddered. All she could do was hope that Kort would appear soon.

* * *

Ziva David was starting to feel impatient. She was used to waiting for things to happen, used to waiting for however long it took. But according to the watch on her wrist, it was now twenty minutes after their deal was supposed to take place.

Beside her, Lily seemed a lot more patient. She was holding the box, making sure that she appeared to be hiding and was yet visible at the same time. They had to make it look as though they had no tricks up their sleeves. A little difficult, knowing Lily as well as they did, but they could make it work.

The redhead had been missing for a good part of the day. Ziva suspected that not all that time had been spent collecting the material. She understood that persuading someone to hand over nuclear material took time, but not as long as Lily had been absent for. Had she been trying to clear her head somewhere or had she prepared something in the cathedral?

Ziva would not put it past her. She recalled something Jenny had once told her about how Lily believed in backup plan after backup plan. Not to mention how badly Lily wanted revenge for what Kort had done to her husband. It was a dangerous combination and she knew Kort was not going to walk out of here alive.

But she did not know who would kill him. She wanted to wring his neck for daring to hurt Tony. Lily wanted to make him pay for what had happened to her husband. And to top it all off, Kort wanted to make Lily's life a living hell.

Was Tony even alive still? She was forced to believe that he was. Kort needed Tony to make the deal, but once it was over, none of them would be safe. They would have to go with the flow.

Or was it blow? She knew it had something to do with water anyway.

It was not as though she could ask Lily. The redhead had retreated into herself, as though she had shut down before the showdown. Ziva suspected it was Lily's way of passing the time.

There was nothing else they could do. Kort needed to take this situation at face value. If they started to converse, however quietly they spoke, Kort would become suspicious. And that would not help them.

A series of footsteps caught her attention. She tensed, attempting to work out where they were coming from. At a guess, from the back of the cathedral.

Now she could make out two sets of footsteps. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that one was Tony. The other one had to be Kort. Beside her, Lily had started to come to life, focusing on a spot at the far end of the cathedral. They looked at each other for a brief moment, determination in their eyes.

This was it. Showtime.

Kort appeared in the moonlight, Tony in front of him. The rogue CIA agent held a gun to her partner's head. Ziva felt a wave of irrational fury course through her. He was not going to get away with this.

He looked directly at them and they stepped out of the niche.

"Tony for the material," he demanded.

* * *

From his vantage point, Gibbs was glad that everything had gone to plan so far. Kort had stepped into their spider web. All they had to do was prevent him from escaping.

Which was easier said than done when Lily was the only one of them who had a gun. They hadn't had the time to acquire any more. He had managed to get his hands on some knives, after being forced to show identification several times. Jenny had muttered something about the Brits taking a firm line on underage knife sales.

Although he had pointed out that he was clearly not a teenager. The silver hair gave it away a bit. Still, he had found the whole experience annoying.

Knives were only good for close encounters. While Ziva was an expert at throwing hers, Kort still had a gun. And it was currently placed to Tony's head. For the moment, there was nothing they could do.

It was good to see Tony alive though. His senior field agent looked a little pissed off and Gibbs couldn't blame him. Getting caught like that was stupid. And not being able to escape must have annoyed Tony as well. Tony needed to bound around, to do whatever he liked whenever he liked. Wherever he had been kept, he was likely to have been bored out of his skull.

Calling on his Marine training, Gibbs crept stealthily through the darkness, slowly coming up behind Kort. He was deliberately taking his time, not wanting to be caught. If he was, this would descend into a bloodbath within seconds.

It was his job to protect his team. He had ordered Jenny to a safer spot than the others, wanting her to be out of harm's way. McGee had been told to block the main entrance, the one which they had decided Kort was least likely to use. Ziva had insisted on getting as close to Kort as possible and Gibbs couldn't dissuade her. And he had no control over Lily, but knew she was the one Kort wanted. She would have to be visible.

He watched as Lily placed the box containing the material carefully on the floor in front of Kort. She took a few steps back to give everyone room to maneuver.

Gibbs knew this was the most dangerous part. The second Kort removed the gun from Tony, he had to know Lily would pounce. There would be nothing holding back either of the females in front of him.

"Walk forwards," Kort ordered Tony, keeping the gun trained on him.

Tony did as he was told, although Gibbs could see him turning his gaze towards Ziva, silently asking her what the plan was.

With the gun still trained on Tony, Kort bent down and picked up the box.

"Now what?" Tony questioned, turning around once he had reached the others.

Gibbs couldn't see Kort's face, but he guessed from the look on Lily's that something was about to go wrong. Kort pressed something in his left hand and Lincoln cathedral went up in flames.

And then Kort shot at Lily.


	21. Flaming Showdown

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! Someone asked me a little while ago if Jenny was right handed, did this mean Lily was left handed? I stuttered a little, admitted I had let slip a few hints in earlier stories and promised all would be revealed. So here it is..._

Chapter 21: Flaming Showdown

McGee had no idea what had just happened. All he knew was that the cathedral was in flames and his friends were inside.

It was obvious that Kort had expected a trap. He had come prepared to deal with anything they threw at him. Although the fires had only been burning for less than thirty seconds, the heat was immense. Smoke was starting to fill the area and it was difficult to breathe.

Nevertheless, McGee battled into the cathedral. He couldn't see a thing, but he was determined to help everyone out. Everyone except Kort.

He had heard a shot right after the flames had started. From his appointed place, he had been unable to see what had happened. Thankfully there had only been the one shot. At worst, it meant that one of his friends was dead. But everyone else was still alive and they needed to leave immediately.

The first person he ran into was the Director. From the speed at which she had appeared, he suspected she had already been traveling along the passageway before everything had gone wrong. She was clearly planning to go deeper into the smoke, but McGee pulled her back.

"You need to leave," he shouted at her. The noise of the fires made it difficult to hear anything. The smell of everything burning was starting to get to him too.

"Jethro," she shouted back. "He's still in here."

He shook his head, grabbing her arm and aiming for where he thought the door was. The smoke was disorientating. He wasn't even sure if he was heading further into the cathedral or not. All he could do was cross his fingers and hope.

He felt the Director catch his arm as well, although he did not know if it was to prevent them from becoming separated or to comfort one or both of them. It took him what felt like forever, although he suspected it was less than a minute, to find the main door and kick it open.

Beautiful fresh air filled his lungs. He made sure they were both safely outside before he turned to look at the chaos behind him.

The whole cathedral was in flames. Kort had clearly decided to make this game as deadly as possible. There was no way anyone could miss this. He suspected the fire department would be on the scene in minutes.

And it could very well be minutes too late. So far, they were the only ones outside. Everyone else was still somewhere inside. He made to go back in, but the Director caught his arm and shook her head.

"It's suicide," she warned, looking very much as though she wanted to run back inside to find Gibbs.

Barely a second later, someone came stumbling out of the smoke. They raced forward, catching whoever it was before they fell over.

McGee breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Gibbs. Together, they pulled him out of reach of the flames. He was coughing hard. Leaving the Director to deal with him, McGee looked back towards the cathedral.

Tony, Ziva, Lily and Kort were still inside the inferno.

* * *

Kort had been aiming low when he had shot at Lily. It was all Ziva David had processed. She had grabbed Tony's arm and shoved him behind a pew, yelping with surprise when he pulled her on top of him.

The whole place was in flames. Within seconds, the billowing smoke had rendered her unable to see anyone but Tony. And her first priority was to get him out of this mess. Nothing else mattered at that moment.

She pulled herself, and thus him, upright. It did not take her long to realize she had made a stupid mistake.

She had lost her sense of direction. The smell of burning and the smoke were confusing her. Her lungs were beginning to ache and all she could think about was getting out as soon as possible.

Tony grabbed her arm and shouted something at her, but she was unable to hear him. Instead, she allowed him to pull her in one direction. If he knew where they were going, that was fine by her. All she would do was make a random stab in the dark.

After a few steps, Tony stumbled to the floor and she followed, remembering that hot air rises. The smoke would rise, leaving the air nearer the floor the safest to breath. It would take them longer to get out, but it was their only hope.

Her mind slowly woke up and she realized how Tony had known which direction to head in. The pews faced the front and the nearest door was at the back. They were crawling right next to the pews, heading in a straight line. It would be trickier once they ended, but she was now determined to get out.

A gust of fresh air caught her off guard, until she realized that someone had kicked the front door down. Within seconds, the new supply of oxygen was fanning the flames. She had yet to come across anyone else in here and she wondered who had made it out. The fires were getting stronger and she kept going.

Tony collapsed onto the stone floor ahead of her. Rapidly, she crawled over to him.

"Wake up!" she screamed in his ear. "We are almost there!"

Although she could not hear his reply, she could guess it. He was tired and wanted to rest. But they could not; it would be the death of them both. They had to get outside.

She took hold of his left arm and began to drag him out. Their weight difference was not helping matters. She forced herself to continue pulling. Tony began to struggle slightly, but she ignored him. They were leaving this place together or staying here together. She would not leave him behind.

Finally, she found herself outside. McGee pounced on them in an instant, catching Tony's other arm and pulling him away from the blaze. Ziva gulped in the fresh air and was strangely pleased when Tony began to cough. He was still alive.

She looked around. Jenny was sitting up, Gibbs hovering over her. McGee was patting Tony's back and staring back at the cathedral.

Lily and Kort were still inside.

* * *

Lily felt the flames around her, but was more focused on something else.

Kort had deliberately shot her. She knew he was a good aim and knew why he had hit that particular part of her.

Blood was dripping down her shattered right hand. It ached and she tried her best to ignore it. The pain was intense. She was going to need a hospital after this, and she hated hospitals. She tried to move her fingers and choked down a scream at the pain. That hand wasn't going to help her.

He knew she was armed. And he thought she couldn't shoot at him if he took out her right hand. He was partly right; the pain was becoming unbearable. If she ever managed to find a way out of this, she wondered briefly if she would be able to regain full use of her hand.

Through the smoke, she could see him standing in front of her, waiting. She knew what he wanted her to do.

"Drop the gun," she shouted over the crackling of the flames.

He took a few steps back, watching her like a hawk. She was losing sight of him in the darkness. He held the gun out to one side. The second he dropped it, she pounced.

She tackled him to the ground, drawing back her left hand to punch him. He blocked her attack easily and attempted to grab her damaged right hand. Remaining on top of him, she used her legs to wedge him onto the ground before jabbing him in the ribs with her right elbow.

He winced, but caught her elbow and managed to flip her over. She wriggled, managed to kick him in his knee. Cursing that his body weight was preventing her from kicking him any higher, she twisted his right hand with her left, causing him to cry out.

Her body ached all over. The flames were continuing to rise, however much she tried to ignore them. The air was becoming more dense by the moment. She felt a gust of fresh air hit her back before the oxygen was sucked into the fire. Someone had got out.

She could only hope it was her sister.

This time, Kort came at her. He darted forwards, aiming an uppercut at her chin. She dodged it easily, using the momentum to kick his chest. He stumbled back slightly and she followed through with a left hook. It felt awkward; she needed the use of her right hand. But it wasn't as though she had a choice.

He tackled her before she could recover, crashing them both down onto the stone floor and smacking her head. She placed both her hands under his chin and pushed upwards with all her strength. He tried to dislodge her hands, but she refused to shift. She flipped them over and her eyes caught sight of something.

His gun.

She sprang up, moving as fast as she could. Snatching it up, she whirled around to face him.

He was on his feet, staring at her. Holding the gun in her left hand, she glared back.

He started to back away. "You don't have the dexterity to use that thing," he shouted.

She began to smile. "You're forgetting something," she yelled back. "I'm ambidextrous."

She pulled the trigger.


	22. Proposals

_Thanks to_ _my beta Kristen!_ _In so much pain right now - I look like a lobster... Only the epilogue to go now._

Chapter 22: Proposals

Half a day later, as midday came and went, Lily sat impatiently in the hospital room. Everyone else had been allowed to go home, but she had needed medical attention.

They had operated on her hand, closing up the wound as best they could. Her right hand was now covered in bandages and she was unable to move it at all. She was going to need help to do anything for a while, and was once again thankful that she could use her left hand as well as her right.

She was supposed to be drugged up to the gills, but she had refused everything she could. The anesthesia she had been given eleven hours ago was fading fast. Pain was once again flooding her system, but she didn't want to risk anything happening to her child. She could make it through the agony.

And now she was trying to persuade the staff to let her go. She had pulled national security grounds on them and it was clear they had no idea what to do. Luckily, the others had all retreated back to their hotel, probably on Jenny's orders. They weren't able to do anything for her by hanging around, but she knew they could get in her way when she tried to leave. She didn't need the hospital anyway. All they would do was give her painkillers.

The doctor entered her room again. From the expression on his face, it was clear that he had not been able to find a reason to force her to stay. She followed him out of the room, tucking the prescription that he gave her away. She wasn't going to need it. She had other things to worry about.

She found herself outside and took several deep breaths of the fresh air. Her lungs were still smarting from the smoke she had inhaled earlier. Choosing to pretend that the aches of her body did not exist, she walked past the cab rank and towards the town itself.

It took her perhaps half an hour before she reached the hotel. The receptionist stared at her as though she had grown another head. Lily shrugged, completely used to it. There was a reason she preferred to work in the dark.

She boarded the elevator, having decided that walking up the flights of stairs would probably kill her. She needed a nice long rest now. Preferably in Jenny's bed. Her sister would fuss over her.

It was a pity she couldn't have alcohol or caffeine. Both of them would cheer her up a bit. She had to admit that she wanted to do a happy dance at the thought of Kort lying dead on the stone floor of the cathedral. But she had no energy left.

She picked the lock on Jenny's door, unwilling to knock. For all she knew, her sister could be asleep. She wasn't expecting what she found…

When she cleared her throat, LJ and Jenny sprung apart. Her eyes caught sight of a small black ring box in LJ's hands. From the looks on both of their faces, Jenny had just said yes.

"Want some time alone?" she inquired, moving to close the door again.

"Thought you were still in the hospital," LJ grumbled, still holding onto Jenny.

Jenny shook her head. "Come in and lie down," she ordered. "You look like death warmed up."

* * *

Jenny watched over her sister as she tried to sleep. Jethro had slipped out of the room, leaving them together.

She found herself smiling again. She had not been expecting his proposal. But he had told her that he couldn't bear to lose her again and they would stay engaged for as long as she wanted. She had jumped him the moment she had been able to get her affirmation out of her lips.

Only for Lily to break in seconds later. Her sister had always had impeccable timing.

And now she was back. Jenny had honestly expected for Lily to make it to 24 hours in the hospital before breaking free, but evidently she had been wrong. It was obvious that she had not received any pain medication from her labored breathing. She wanted to cry; she hated seeing Lily in pain.

She climbed onto the bed, curling up behind her sister and draping an arm over her. Lily flinched at the contact before trying to relax. Jenny held her as close as she dared, mindful of her injuries.

"They give you any pills?" she asked softly.

Lily nodded.

"Did you take any?"

She shook her head.

Jenny sighed. "You need to take them," she urged. "The doctors gave them to you for a reason."

"I don't want them," came the faint reply.

"You aren't going to be able to sleep without them," Jenny pointed out. "You're in pain."

"Don't care."

Jenny doubted this was the truth. Lily hated being in pain. "Why not take a few, just for now," she offered. "What did the doctors tell you?"

"It's going to hurt and I'm going to need physiotherapy," came the answering whisper. "Nothing I didn't already know."

"I doubt you'll argue with the physio," Jenny mused aloud. "So what's wrong with the painkillers?"

Lily rolled over slowly, until they were face to face. "I'm pregnant," she admitted.

Several things slotted together in Jenny's mind. Her sister's lack of alcohol and, now she came to think about it, caffeine. Why she had been looking so ill. Her constant exhaustion. The way she had caved quickly when ordered to eat food. Her obvious confusion of the last week.

"What are you going to do?" she queried. She knew better than to extend her congratulations until Lily opened up more.

"I'm keeping it," Lily confessed. "It's the only piece of Alex I have left."

"That's not the best reason," Jenny pointed out.

Lily closed her eyes. "I'm too tired to fight any more," she muttered.

Jenny pulled her sister into a hug, closing her eyes as well. She couldn't offer false hope; Lily would see right through it. But for now, she could just be there.

* * *

Tony finally felt as though he was not going to cough up a lung.

He was exhausted. He remembered very little of his experience and the doctors at the hospital had decided that he had been drugged. Given that he was still breathing and only suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation, he had decided not to stay in the hospital for any longer. There was simply no need.

And so he was tucked up in bed back at the hotel, Ziva supplying him with glasses of water every five minutes. She had not said anything, merely stayed on hand to fetch him whatever he needed, often without prompting. He was thankful that she had remained so close.

He felt awkward in this position. She didn't need to stay. His crazy ninja Mossad chick needed to go out and kick someone's butt. They were fairly sure that Kort was dead, although the fire department were still struggling to get the flames put out. It was going to take them a while to dig through the remains.

He had no idea how Lily was going to explain what had happened. He only hoped that she was okay. The last time he had seen her was when the doctors had dragged her through to an operating room.

Ziva stood in front of him and he forced his attention to her. He recalled her getting him out of the burning cathedral. He couldn't understand why she had done so; he had been trying to tell her to save herself and not worry about him.

And she had also appeared with Lily before everything went wrong. The only reason he could pull out of his skull for her to have been in more danger than the others was if she had insisted on it. Ziva was one of the few people who could force Gibbs to change his mind, but she would have to have had her heart set on it beforehand. And he needed to know why.

"I told you to leave me behind," he rasped, taking another sip of water before he continued. "Why did you not go?"

"I could not hear you," Ziva replied. He could see concern in her eyes, however much she tried to hide it.

"You knew what I was trying to say," he argued.

She paused for a moment before nodding. "You are my partner," she pointed out. "I needed to help you."

"You should have left," he decided. "You could have got yourself killed."

"I did not want to leave you behind," she countered. "I would prefer to die by your side than have to grieve for you."

He stared at her for a few moments, convinced she had not meant to allow that to slip out. From the way she had rapidly shut up and lowered her head, he knew she had not wanted him to know her feelings.

For once, he didn't know what to say. He didn't want her to leave and walk away; they needed to continue this conversation while they could. But at the same time, he didn't know how to make everything work.

"I should not have said that." Ziva broke the silence. "Please forget that I did."

He shook his head. "I can't forget it," he told her.

The silence stretched between them again.

"Look," he decided. "If Gibbs is breaking Rule 12, I can't see a reason why we can't as well."

She looked up at him, staring into his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Maybe we should keep it quiet for a while," he admitted. "Just in case."

She smiled back at him and he decided that everything was perfect.


	23. Epilogue

_Thanks to my beta Kristen! And a special thanks to everyone who has stuck with me for so long. It's been great. _

_I have more Jibbs up my sleeves and Lily will be in a few shorter stories and oneshots. I try to keep a fairly up-to-date version of what I'm doing on my author's page._

Chapter 23: Epilogue

Gibbs was glad to be at the airport. They were all ready to go back to America.

His children were waiting for him there. He was anxious to see them again, to hold them close. Beside him, he knew his new fiancée felt the same way. He slipped his hand into hers, content to feel the band of metal around her finger. They had been ring shopping the previous day and she was delighted to wear hers.

He felt like a teenager again, giddy with love. Only his team being around had forced him to stop smiling. He didn't want them to think he was a complete idiot. Lily proved it on a regular basis, but he wanted to retain some of his fierce demeanor.

Ahead of him, he could see Tony and Ziva scanning the departures board and squabbling like children. Although they had not said anything, he could tell something had changed between them. Time would tell how they could cope with the challenges ahead. He would watch from the sidelines, though he was not averse to helping them if they needed it.

His eyes rested on his fiancée again and he smiled. Everything was good.

* * *

Jenny was watching her sister carefully. Although Lily had packed the night before, it had only been because she had been standing over her sister. Something was wrong.

And she couldn't tell what it was.

She looked exhausted again, leading Jenny to suspect that she had not slept for a while. She wasn't surprised; the inferno in the cathedral would be playing an active role in her nightmares for some time. But she had Jethro to look after her, and Lily had been left alone again.

Their flight was called, although Lily didn't seem to hear it. She stayed where she was.

"Lil," she called.

To her dismay, Lily shook her head. "I'm not coming with you," she admitted.

Jenny felt her heart plummet; Jethro squeezed her hand tightly. "Why?" she asked.

"I can't do this anymore," Lily confessed. "I can't play these games. I need to clear my head. I faxed Arbourne my resignation last night. He's agreed to have me retired."

"What about Jasper?" She couldn't believe that Lily could just give everything up like this.

"He gets on a plane to join me here in a few hours," Lily informed them. "We'll be fine."

"You can't do this to me," Jenny pleaded.

Lily shook her head. "It's done. Give my love to my nieces."

Jenny stared at her, recognizing that there was nothing she could do to make her sister change her mind. Slowly, she began to walk away.

Tears began to cloud her vision and she allowed herself a final look over her shoulder as they reached the gate. Lily stood where they had left her, her bag resting on one shoulder, watching as they departed.

She closed her eyes briefly as Jethro guided her gently through the gate. She had no idea how she was going to cope.

But she would have to. She did not have a choice in the matter.

Jethro placed an arm around her shoulders, holding her close. He brushed a kiss to the top of her head. She leaned into his touch, thankful that he was here. At least she still had him. They would make it through this together.

And there was always the chance that Lily would return for their wedding.

THE END


End file.
